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, affordable power during extreme cold and other conditions when wind and solar produce little or no output. Moe and some commissioners described nuclear as a 24/7 carbon-free resource with a small land footprint, and said newer small modular reactors could reduce some of the scale and siting concerns tied to older designs.

What was said: Moe described the Alliance as a bipartisan coalition including utilities, labor and clean-energy groups. He said Sherburne County and a southwest county energy board recently joined, and invited Beltrami County to consider joining as well. "We are working with the Minnesota Nuclear Energy Alliance," Moe said. "That's a very broad bipartisan coalition of folks that includes clean energy groups. It includes the state's utilities. It includes labor unions."

Commissioners asked several questions. Commissioner Carlson asked, "Who's against this? And why hasn't it happened already?" Moe said the Prairie Island Indian community's concerns about on-site spent-fuel storage near existing plants remain a key political hurdle and that the lack of a federal long-term storage solution has been a central point of opposition. "The DFL in particular is concerned about the position of the Prairie Island Indian community," he said. He added the Alliance is seeking to continue dialogue with tribal leaders. "We want to keep working on finding solutions to that as well."

Commissioner Sumner asked how the county could learn more before weighing any resolution; other commissioners suggested additional work‑session discussions or direct contact with Moe. Moe offered to share Sherburne County's support letter and materials his group uses for outreach.

What the county can and cannot do: Moe repeatedly stressed that lifting the moratorium would only open the door for study and discussion, not automatically produce plants in Beltrami County. "If that happened, of course, utilities would still need to demonstrate that nuclear energy is the most cost effective way to serve energy in the future before any actual plants would be sited," he said.

Background and remaining questions: Commissioners raised the technical and political questions they want addressed before taking any position: long-term storage options for spent nuclear fuel, how tribal concerns would be resolved, cost comparisons with other carbon-free resources, and siting specifics. The county did not take a formal vote or adopt a resolution at the meeting. Moe said there is no membership fee for counties that wish to join the Alliance.

Next steps: Commissioners suggested placing further discussion on a future work meeting agenda and exchanging contact information for follow-up. Moe said the Alliance will hold an energy forum next week and that Prairie Island representatives plan to participate.