As MN Legislature again weighs ending ban on new nuclear plants, Prairie Island tribe a key voice
Minnesota lawmakers are once again debating whether the state should lift a three-decade ban on new nuclear power plants in the state. Though in order for that to happen, advocates will need to persuade skeptical Democrats and a Dakota community whose land is right next to an existing plant.
At a Thursday hearing for a new bill to lift Minnesota's nuclear moratorium, the House Energy Committee heard from advocates who say nuclear power will be key to the state's clean energy transition and opponents concerned about costs, safety and storage of nuclear waste. Republican members advanced the bill for a vote of the full House, though its prospects are unclear.
The Prairie Island Indian Community's approval could be key to securing support from Democratic Farmer-Labor lawmakers, and while a tribal representative said he was encouraged by conversations with bill author Rep. Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, more needs to be done before they could support an end to the ban.
Blake Johnson, a lobbyist for the southeast Minnesota tribe, acknowledged the role of nuclear energy in producing carbon-free electricity for the state, but said the community needs more assurance it is protected from expansion of nuclear power.
'Our tribal members have lived next to spent nuclear waste for 30 years and next to a generating plant for 50 years,' he said. 'What would you say if your people are struggling with what sits in the earth and adding more means that it will be a problem we leave for our children, our children's children, and so on?'
Prairie Island sits about 700 yards away from the nuclear power plant and more than 1,000 tons of radioactive waste, closer than any other community in the United States, tribal or otherwise, Johnson said.
The nuclear plant was constructed without tribal consent half a century ago, just a few years before Prairie Island received electricity and running water, Johnson said. The state approved on-site waste storage with the promise there'd be a moratorium on new nuclear power and an eventual federal long-term solution for storage.
Igo's bill would allow the state Public Utilities Commission to issue a 'certificate of need' for a nuclear power plant again and contains language specifically banning the construction of a new nuclear plant or waste storage facility on Prairie Island.
Minnesota has two nuclear power plants that started operating in the 1970s: a two-reactor plant at Prairie Island near Red Wing and a one-reactor plant in Monticello. None have been built since following a moratorium on new plants enacted in 1994.
Advocates argue nuclear power will be key as the state transitions to carbon-free electricity to combat climate change. The DFL-led Legislature passed a bill in 2023 requiring all energy in the state to be carbon neutral by 2040, and nuclear would be a key part of providing reliable baseload power, they say.
Republicans have repeatedly tried to remove the 2040 mandate, but they say nuclear power will help if it remains in place.
'It's important that we utilize every tool in the tool box that we pursue an all of the above energy approach,' Igo said. 'And if we're going to get there and we're going to make sure to keep energy affordable and reliable, we need to use everything at our disposal.'
Some DFL members of the House Energy Committee said they were curious about nuclear power but wanted more reassurances about safety, waste and costs.
Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul said she was happy Igo had worked with the Prairie Island Indian Community, but added lawmakers should do more to ensure waste doesn't end up elsewhere in the state.
'We always end up putting it in the communities that are most vulnerable and are historically disadvantaged,' she said. 'I think that it needs to be a broader conversation.'
Concerns about Prairie Island, practicality of building new plants by 2040, and environmental risks have kept most Democrats from openly supporting an end to the moratorium, but some senators have gotten on board.
A 2025 bill sponsored by Sen. Andrew Mathews, R-Princeton, has the support of Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, and Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin. It hasn't seen success in the DFL-controlled Senate.
Xcel Energy, which runs the state's two nuclear plants, says nuclear will play a 'foundational role' in the transition to carbon-free electricity. The company is open to expansion in Minnesota, but has not taken a position on lifting the moratorium.
'While we believe that advanced nuclear energy resources should be one of the options as we continue the energy transition, any discussion about lifting the state's moratorium on new nuclear plants must include the Prairie Island Indian Community as a key stakeholder,' spokesman Theo Keith told the Pioneer Press in a statement.
Minnesota Power, which provides electricity in northeastern parts of the state, said the state should approach lifting the moratorium with 'care and intent.'
'We believe that ensuring reliability and affordability as we decarbonize our system, means all emerging technology and options, including nuclear power, need to be carefully considered to help meet the energy needs of the future,' said Minnesota Power spokesperson Amy Rutledge.
Politics | Ethics panel deadlocks on complaints against senator charged with felony — again
Politics | DFL candidate wins special election, returning Minnesota House to tie
Politics | Former Minnesota Sen. Melisa López Franzen to run for U.S. Senate in 2026
Politics | Control of Minnesota House depends on Roseville area special election Tuesday
Politics | Economic 'uncertainty' drives down Minnesota's surplus, grows projected future deficit
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Abuse of power' or necessary protection? Swift fallout over National Guard troops in L.A.
State and national leaders responded swiftly after President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles in an effort to quell protests of immigration raids. Soldiers arrived early Sunday and were reported to be gathering at the Edward Roybal federal building near the Metropolitan Detention Center, several Los Angeles news outlets reported. Trump had thanked them for their efforts Saturday night via a Truth Social post before they arrived. 'Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest,' he wrote at 11:41 p.m. Saturday, adding that it was a 'job well done.' Less than an hour later, just after midnight, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass asserted that the National Guard had not yet been deployed in the city. She also thanked the Los Angeles Police Department and local law enforcement for their efforts on X. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also pointed out Trump's discrepancy Sunday morning. The White House announced Trump's plan to quell the widespread protests, which erupted in response to a series of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests, with 2,000 National Guard troops Saturday, citing that protest activity or violence that interfered with the work of immigration officials served as 'a form of rebellion' against the government. 'This federalization is benign done under 10 U.S.C. § 12406, which means the Guard troops will still be subject to the prohibitions in the Posse Comitatus Act,' Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Ca. wrote on X Saturday as part of a post condemning Trump's actions. The Posse Comitatus Act prevents federal troops from interfering with civilian law enforcement activities. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement Saturday about the situation. Penned by Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project, described the deployment of the National Guard as 'an abuse of power' that is 'recklessly undermining our foundational democratic principle that the military should not police civilians.' Others have deemed the decision as a brave response to chaos. 'President Trump is stepping up to provide safety while L.A. leaders hide from reality,' Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, wrote X Sunday morning. On the official X account for the House Committee on the Judiciary, Republicans shared a news clip of a man circling a burning car on a bike in Los Angeles while waving a Mexican flag with the caption 'Democrat-run Los Angeles.' Several other state and national political leaders, however, said sending in the National Guard was overreach. 'That move is purposely inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,' Newsom wrote on X, noting that local law enforcement had a handle on the situation. 'This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.' Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs of San Diego, where an ICE raid at a local Italian restaurant led to several arrests and sparked community outrage last week, similarly deemed Trump's intervention an 'unnecessary escalation' on X. She warned that the move 'raises the potential for people to get hurt and erodes public trust.' Protests erupted in Los Angeles after a series of ICE arrests in the area Friday and Saturday. The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday that 118 immigrants were arrested in Los Angeles in the past week, though it was not specified how many were in the country illegally. The city of Paramount, where the Los Angeles Times reported that a protester and Border Patrol agent were injured Saturday, has become a major hub for protests. Many news outlets in Los Angeles have reported tense confrontations between both sides, with law enforcement deploying rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades and tear gas against protesters, and demonstrators hurling rocks, fireworks and bottles in return. Dozens of protesters, including David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, have been arrested by federal agents and Los Angeles police. 'The Trump administration has repeatedly broken the law while deporting American citizens, including children, without the due process protections guaranteed by the Constitution,' wrote Jeffries, D-N.Y. 'Across the country, the American people are exercising their First Amendment right to lawfully and peacefully demonstrate against these actions. Observing law enforcement activity is not a crime and the administration's deployment of the National Guard in response is inflammatory and provocative.' The National Guard is typically tasked with responding to domestic emergencies, including civil unrest, and can be summoned by any state governor or the president. Usually, presidents activate troops at the request of state leaders. The decision is rarely made by a president independently. 'Calling in the National Guard when the Governor has not requested assistance is an intentional move by the Trump Administration to unnecessarily escalate the situation in Los Angeles County,' Rep. Nanette D. Barragán, D-Carson (Los Angeles County), wrote Saturday on X. 'This is an abuse of power and what dictators do. It's unnecessary and not needed.'
Hamilton Spectator
32 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Mike Johnson downplays Musk's influence and says Republicans will pass Trump's tax and budget bill
With an uncharacteristically feistiness, Speaker Mike Johnson took clear sides Sunday in President Donald Trump's breakup with mega-billionaire Elon Musk. The Republican House leader and staunch Trump ally said Musk's criticism of the GOP's massive tax and budget policy bill will not derail the measure, and he downplayed Musk's influence over the GOP-controlled Congress. 'I didn't go out to craft a piece of legislation to please the richest man in the world,' Johnson said on ABC's 'This Week.' 'What we're trying to do is help hardworking Americans who are trying to provide for their families and make ends meet,' Johnson insisted. Johnson said he has exchanged text messages with Musk since the former chief of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency came out against the GOP bill. Musk called it an 'abomination' that would add to U.S. debts and threaten economic stability. He urged voters to flood Capitol Hill with calls to vote against the measure, which is pending in the Senate after clearing the House. His criticism sparked an angry social media back-and-forth with Trump, who told reporters over the weekend that he has no desire to repair his relationship with Musk. The speaker was dismissive of Musk's threats to finance opponents — even Democrats — of Republican members who back Trump's bill. 'We've got almost no calls to the offices, any Republican member of Congress,' Johnson said. 'And I think that indicates that people are taking a wait and see attitude. Some who may be convinced by some of his arguments, but the rest understand: this is a very exciting piece of legislation.' Johnson argued that Musk still believes 'that our policies are better for human flourishing. They're better for the US economy. They're better for everything that he's involved in with his innovation and job creation and entrepreneurship.' The speaker and other Republicans, including Trump's White House budget chief, continued their push back Sunday against forecasts that their tax and budget plans will add to annual deficits and thus balloon a national debt already climbing toward $40 trillion. Johnson insisted that Musk has bad information, and the speaker disputed the forecasts of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that scores budget legislation. The bill would extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, cut spending and reduce some other levies but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by $2.4 trillion over the decade , according to the CBO's analysis. The speaker countered with arguments Republicans have made for decades : That lower taxes and spending cuts would spur economic growth that ensure deficits fall. Annual deficits and the overall debt actually climbed during the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, and during Trump's first presidency , even after sweeping tax cuts. Russell Vought, who leads the White House Office of Budget and Management, said on Fox News Sunday that CBO analysts base their models of 'artificial baselines.' Because the 2017 tax law set the lower rates to expire, CBO's cost estimates, Vought argued, presuming a return to the higher rates before that law went into effect. Vought acknowledged CBO's charge from Congress is to analyze legislation and current law as it is written. But he said the office could issue additional analyses, implying it would be friendlier to GOP goals. Asked whether the White House would ask for alternative estimates, Vought again put the burden on CBO, repeating that congressional rules allow the office to publish more analysis. Other Republicans, meanwhile, approached the Trump-Musk battle cautiously. 'As a former professional fighter, I learned a long time ago, don't get between two fighters,' said Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin on CNN's 'State of the Union.' He even compared the two billionaire businessmen to a married couple. 'President Trump is a friend of mine but I don't need to get, I can have friends that have disagreements,' Mullin said. 'My wife and I dearly love each other and every now and then, well actually quite often, sometimes she disagrees with me, but that doesn't mean that we can't stay focused on what's best for our family. Right now, there may be a disagreement but we're laser focused on what is best for the American people.' —- Associated Press journalist Gary Fields contributed from Washington. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Escalating ICE raids pull California Democrats back into immigration fight
SAN FRANCISCO — The Trump administration's increasingly aggressive moves on immigration are pulling Democrats back into a border security debate they had tried to ignore. For months, Democrats scarred by the politics of the issue sought to sidestep President Donald Trump's immigration wars — focusing instead on the economy, tariffs or, in the case of deportations, due process concerns. But in the span of a week, that calculation was jolted in California, after a series of high-profile raids and arrests, including of a labor union leader and dozens of other people in Los Angeles, and with President Donald Trump on Saturday announcing the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the area. In this citadel of Democratic politics, party officials from the governor's mansion to city halls are suddenly tearing into Trump on immigration again, inflaming a debate that worked to Trump's benefit in 2024 — but where Democrats believe they now have a political opening. 'We were wrong on the border,' said Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat from San Diego who chided Immigration and Customs Enforcement over a raid at a popular restaurant in the city. 'But it is not hard to explain to average Americans why what's happening here is unproductive. It's so un-American, and it's so cruel.' Peters and other San Diego leaders — including Democratic Reps. Juan Vargas, Sara Jacobs and Mike Levin — were quick to condemn the recent raid on an Italian restaurant in the trendy South Park neighborhood, where around 20 masked agents stormed the restaurant and handcuffed workers as a rattled crowd looked on. Four undocumented immigrants were arrested. The lawmakers called the agents' tactics 'needlessly reckless' and said the heavy-handed approach 'terrorized' residents, noting agents used flash-bang grenades to disperse those who gathered outside to protest. But if the enforcement action was aggressive, the response from Democrats represented an escalation in their engagement on immigration, too. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, a Democrat, had previously said little about Trump or his immigration policies in the early months of his second term — similar to other blue-city mayors in California who've sought to avoid drawing the president's ire. But in recent days, Gloria sharply criticized federal officials over the raids. And then came the immigration sweeps in Los Angeles, where union officials said the Service Employees International Union's state president, David Huerta, was injured and arrested. Rep. Derek Tran, a Democrat from Orange County, who last fall flipped a hotly contested GOP seat, said on X that he was 'appalled by this clear violation of first amendment rights,' while Rep. Jimmy Gomez called it part of a 'nationwide pattern of suppression.' Protests erupted in the city, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass decried immigration enforcement tactics she said 'sow terror in our communities.' 'These are fear-driven, military-style operations that have no place in a democratic society,' said Mark Gonzalez, a Democratic state Assemblymember whose downtown LA district was the epicenter of Friday's raids. The next day, when Trump announced the Guard's deployment, Democrats rushed to take a stand in a fight shifting from deportations to the deployment of the Guard. Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted the measure as 'purposefully inflammatory.' And when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to deploy the U.S. military, too, Newsom posted on social media, 'This is deranged behavior.' In a note to his super PAC list, he said, 'These are not people who have some deep conviction about protecting law enforcement. This is a President who failed to call up the National Guard when it was actually needed — on January 6th — and then pardoned the participants as one of his first acts as president. They want a spectacle. They want the violence.' For the party at large, it's a notable swing from the immediate aftermath of Trump's victory in November, when many Democratic leaders in California and elsewhere sought to moderate on the issue — or at least strike a more muted tone than they did during Trump's first term. Polling suggests that voter frustration over Democrats' handling of border security and crime played a strong role in Trump's sweeping return to power, and many elected officials adjusted in response. Newsom was among them. He has avoided using the word 'sanctuary' to defend the state's immigration laws that limit police cooperation with ICE. He also vowed to veto a Democratic-led bill that would have applied such restrictions to state prisons and is now proposing steep cuts to a health care program for undocumented immigrants. Earlier this year, he suggested the legal fight over Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident mistakenly deported by the Trump administration and imprisoned in El Salvador — he is now back in U.S. custody and facing federal human trafficking charges — was a 'distraction' intended to take Democrats' focus away from other parts of Trump's agenda (Newsom's office later said his remarks were misconstrued). But in recent days, the governor has criticized federal deportation efforts, including reports that federal authorities threatened the family of a Bakersfield girl with a rare, life-threatening medical condition with deportation, despite the family earlier being granted humanitarian protection. 'The @GOP are sending a 4 year old off to her death without a care in the world. It's sick,' Newsom posted on X. The Trump administration has accused Democrats and the media of distorting the facts of the case, noting the girl wasn't actively being deported. Department of Homeland Security Officials said the family has since been approved to stay in the U.S. while she receives medical care. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in an email that the left's 'unhinged smears' of immigration-enforcement tactics have led to a surge of assaults on ICE agents. 'President Trump is keeping his promise to the American people to deport illegal aliens,' she said. 'It's disturbing that Democrats would side with illegal aliens over Americans and stoke hatred against American law enforcement.' In a social media post, Trump said, 'If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!' ICE officials have also defended the agency's actions in the San Diego raids, saying agents wear masks due to escalating death threats and online harassment. The agency said it deployed flash-bang grenades when the crowd outside the restaurant 'became unruly' and posed a potential danger. Regarding the arrest of SEIU's leader, federal authorities said Huerta had blocked an ICE vehicle while agents were serving a warrant. Still, the headline-grabbing incidents and images of residents clashing with ICE agents have provided an opening for Democrats to put the Trump administration on the defensive — over raids, accounts of children being separated from their parents during ICE detentions and migrants being arrested in federal courthouses while attending legal proceedings. Recent polling suggests that after making gains with Latino voters in 2024, Trump's support among Latinos is falling off. 'It's one thing when you're talking about illegal aliens in the abstract,' said Mike Madrid, a veteran political consultant and anti-Trump Republican. 'It moved from the abstract to the real. It's cruelty for cruelty's sake, and that's where you're going to lose support.' Chris Newman, legal director with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said while Democrats were hurt in the 2024 election by the Biden administration's handling of immigration, the politics are shifting as Trump tries to carry out his promise of mass deportations. 'When you see these types of Gestapo-style tactics playing out in real life, the whole country is recoiling to that,' said Newman, who represents the family of Abrego Garcia. He has criticized Democrats, including Newsom, over their response to the Abrego Garcia case, which captured national headlines due to Trump's defiance of multiple federal court orders. In that case, Democrats focused their messaging not on the humanitarian toll of deportations, but due process and the rule of law. Newman said the latest raids show Democrats hesitant to attack Republicans over their immigration policies have misread the moment: 'The wrong lesson (from the 2024 election) is that immigration is inherently a losing issue for Democrats at the top level. The right lesson is that what … the American public wants is a clear, legible immigration policy.' Among the most outspoken California Democrats in recent days has been San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who was pilloried by conservative media outlets over his Instagram post that included a photo labeling ICE agents as 'terrorists' in the restaurant raid. The post drew national attention, with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller accusing politicians on the left of 'openly encouraging violence against law enforcement to aid and abet the invasion of America.' Elo-Rivera, who's also a member of the progressive Working Families Party, said while the restaurant incident made headlines, it was indicative of more aggressive ICE actions that have rattled his district near the U.S.-Mexico border — tactics he argues are designed to stoke fear. He said while Democrats did a lot of 'hemming and hawing' post-election over the party's stance on immigration, they now have a chance to make a sharp contrast with the GOP by consistently advocating for the dignity and rights of migrants. 'Immigration is not a distraction for Democrats. We just need to have the conversation on our terms,' Elo-Rivera said. 'Unfortunately, there's folks that think they need to see a poll first before they take a position.'
