1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to energy; removing prohibition against issuing certificate of need for 
1.3 	nuclear-powered electric generating plant; extending sunset date for Legislative 
1.4 	Electric Energy Task Force and requiring it to contract for a study of economic 
1.5 	and environmental effects of constructing a nuclear-powered electric generating 
1.6 	plant; appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 
1.7 	216B.243, subdivision 3b; 216C.051, subdivision 9.
1.8 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.9 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 216B.243, subdivision 3b, is amended to 
1.10 	read:
1.11 		Subd. 3b.Nuclear power plant; new construction prohibited; relicensing
1.12 	Additional storage of spent nuclear fuel. (a) The commission may not issue a certificate 
1.13 	of need for the construction of a new nuclear-powered electric generating plant.
1.14 	(b) Any certificate of need for additional storage of spent nuclear fuel for a facility 
1.15 	seeking a license extension shall must address the impacts of continued operations over 
1.16 	the period for which approval is sought.

1.17 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 216C.051, subdivision 9, is amended to read:
1.18 		Subd. 9.Expiration. This section is repealed June 30, 2007 2008.

1.19 	Sec. 3. NUCLEAR ENERGY STUDY.
 1.20 		Subdivision 1.Scope of study. The Legislative Electric Energy Task Force 
1.21 	shall contract with an entity to conduct a comprehensive study of the economic and 
1.22 	environmental costs and benefits of constructing a new nuclear-powered electric 
1.23 	generating plant in Minnesota. The study must investigate, at a minimum: 
2.1 	(1) advances in technology that would be reflected in the plant's design and 
2.2 	operation, compared with the technology embodied in nuclear-powered electric generating 
2.3 	plants currently operating in Minnesota, and their impact on the plant's useful life, its 
2.4 	operation and maintenance costs, and its health and safety risks; 
2.5 	(2) predesign, design, and construction costs of constructing a 600-megawatt 
2.6 	nuclear-powered generating plant in Minnesota, and comparable costs of delivering an 
2.7 	equivalent amount of energy by: 
2.8 	(i) constructing a conventional coal plant; 
2.9 	(ii) constructing a coal plant using "clean-coal" technology; 
2.10 	(iii) constructing a coal gasification plant; and 
2.11 	(iv) a combination of cost-effective energy conservation investments, including the 
2.12 	implementation of statewide efficiency standards for a range of electric appliances, and 
2.13 	energy generated from renewable sources including wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal; 
2.14 	(3) estimated costs of storing the plant's nuclear waste on site; 
2.15 	(4) the projected retail rate per kilowatt hour from the plant, compared with the 
2.16 	projected rate from the alternatives listed in clause (2), items (i) through (iv). These 
2.17 	projected rates must include, as applicable, different estimates of a regulatory tax imposed 
2.18 	on electric generation plants based on the amount of carbon emitted;
2.19 	(5) environmental impacts of the plant's operation, compared with those associated 
2.20 	with each alternative listed in clause (2), items (i) through (iv), to water, to land, and to air, 
2.21 	including greenhouse gas emissions and particulates; and
2.22 	(6) the health effects associated with human exposure to the plant's emissions.
2.23 		Subd. 2.Report. The study's findings must be submitted in a report to the 
2.24 	Legislative Electric Energy Task Force no later than March 1, 2008.
2.25 		Subd. 3.Assessment. The cost of the report must not exceed $200,000, and must be 
2.26 	paid from revenues raised through the Legislative Electric Energy Task Force's assessment 
2.27 	authority under Minnesota Statutes, section 216C.051, subdivision 6.

2.28 	Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 2.29 	Sections 1 to 3 are effective the day following final enactment.