County hears MREA pitch to lift Minnesota moratorium on new nuclear power

Beltrami County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday heard an update from Derek Moe, chief executive officer of the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, urging the county to support lifting Minnesota's moratorium on new nuclear energy. Moe told commissioners the moratorium, in place since 1994, is preventing utilities from studying nuclear as an option to meet the state's requirement that generation serving load be carbon-free by 2040.

Moe said the association — which represents the state's 50 rural electric cooperatives — and a broader Minnesota Nuclear Energy Alliance are asking the Legislature to remove the ban so regulators and utilities can evaluate nuclear alongside other resources. "The moratorium has been in place since 1994. And we believe that it's time, that the legislature, takes a new look, a fresh look and eliminates that moratorium," Moe said.

Why it matters: County officials said they want reliable,…