Minnesota Session Laws - 1995, Regular Session

                              CHAPTER 4-S.F.No. 44 
                  An act relating to energy; extending the deadline for 
                  the initial report of the legislative electric energy 
                  task force; amending Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 
                  216C.051, subdivision 5. 
        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
           Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 216C.051, 
        subdivision 5, is amended to read: 
           Subd. 5.  [REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.] (a) The legislative 
        task force may contract with independent experts, none of whom 
        can have been involved in any capacity in any of the proceedings 
        before the public utilities commission, the administrative law 
        judge, or the court of appeals related to dry cask storage at 
        Prairie Island or in any proceedings related to the license for 
        the facility granted by the United States Nuclear Regulatory 
        Commission, to assist it with analysis of items and issues 
        listed in subdivisions 3 and 4. 
           (b) The legislative task force shall convene a separate 
        balanced group of experts in the fields of energy production and 
        distribution and energy economics from within and without the 
        state to include experts formerly or currently employed by the 
        department of public service and/or the public utilities 
        commission, an economist employed by the residential and small 
        business division of the office of the attorney general, 
        electric energy experts employed by utilities, experts from 
        other states that have begun to implement policies for utilizing 
        indigenous, sustainable energy sources, experts from public 
        advocacy groups, and others to be determined by the task force.  
        The task force shall request the group of experts to assist it 
        in publicly examining and analyzing information received from 
        the independent experts and in preparing the report required in 
        paragraph (c). 
           (c) By January 15, 1996, the task force shall submit a 
        report to the chairs of the committees in the house and in the 
        senate that have responsibility for energy and for environmental 
        and natural resources issues that contains an overview of plans 
        and analyses that have been prepared, a critique of how those 
        plans and analyses will assist in implementation of the energy 
        conservation and sources for generation policies and goals in 
        chapters 216B and 216C, and specific recommendations for 
        legislative action that will ensure development and 
        implementation of electric energy policy that will provide the 
        state with adequate, sustainable, and economic electric power 
        for the long term while utilizing, to the maximum reasonable 
        extent, energy resources that are available or producible within 
        the state and while developing, maintaining, and strengthening a 
        viable and robust energy and utility infrastructure. 
           (d) By February 1 September 15, 1995, the task force shall 
        submit to the chairs of the committees specified in paragraph 
        (c), a preliminary report that provides: 
           (1) an overview of the current status of energy planning 
        and implementation of those plans by state agencies and 
        utilities, along with an analysis of the extent to which 
        existing statutory energy policies and goals are being met for 
        electric energy consumed in the state; 
           (2) an analysis of and any recommendations for adjustments 
        to the specific targets set in subdivisions 4 and 5, relating to 
        energy savings, electric generation sources for replacement and 
        additional capacity needs, and development of wind and biomass 
        energy sources; and 
           (3) as much information as the task force has been able to 
        gather on future high-level radioactive waste management and 
        transportation, including technologies and costs. 
           Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
           Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment. 
           Presented to the governor February 21, 1995 
           Signed by the governor February 22, 1995, 2:59 p.m.