1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to energy; allowing utility recovery of certain costs related to a new 
1.3 	nuclear power plant;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
1.4 	chapter 216B.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. TITLE.
 1.7 	Section 2 may be referred to as the Nuclear Safety Preparedness Act of 2011.

1.8 	Sec. 2. [216B.1638] RECOVERY OF CERTAIN NUCLEAR PLANT RESEARCH 
1.9 	COSTS.
1.10 		Subdivision 1.Filing. (a) Notwithstanding section 216B.243, subdivision 3b, 
1.11 	paragraph (a), a utility may petition the commission to recover from ratepayers expenses 
1.12 	incurred to research and analyze any of the following issues regarding future construction 
1.13 	of a nuclear-powered electric generating plant:
1.14 	(1) innovative plant designs and nuclear technologies; 
1.15 	(2) improved safety and integrity of backup fuel systems to operate a plant in the 
1.16 	event that routine electrical service is interrupted; 
1.17 	(3) construction and plant design methods to protect a plant against weather-related 
1.18 	or other natural phenomena, including earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods; 
1.19 	(4) construction and plant design methods and internal security measures to protect a 
1.20 	plant against incidents of terrorism; 
1.21 	(5) innovative technologies that reduce the amount or toxicity of radioactive waste 
1.22 	produced by a plant;
2.1 	(6) innovative technologies for storing nuclear waste on site that reduce the risk 
2.2 	of environmental exposure to radiation; 
2.3 	(7) improved systems to monitor the release of radioactivity outside the plant; 
2.4 	(8) improved emergency preparedness planning to evacuate plant workers and 
2.5 	residents of communities surrounding a plant in the event of an accident; 
2.6 	(9) the impacts of financing, constructing, and operating a plant on ratepayers and 
2.7 	the utility; and 
2.8 	(10) innovative financing mechanisms that minimize financial risks to ratepayers 
2.9 	and taxpayers.
2.10 	(b) Upon finding that the research project is consistent with the public interest and 
2.11 	does not impose excessive costs on ratepayers, the commission shall provide timely 
2.12 	recovery of the utility's expenses on approved projects. 
2.13 		Subd. 2.Commission authority; orders. The commission may issue orders 
2.14 	necessary to implement and administer this section.

2.15 	EFFECTIVE DATE. Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final 
2.16 	enactment.