April 10, 1992
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, call Mark Tilsen 612/338-2840; Rick
Duncan 612/336-3000; Willie Hardacker 612/893-1813; George
Crocker 612/770-3861, Prairie Island Coalition 612/338-0250;
or address E-mail to: BIX: [DE3MIR]bdrew
COMPUSERVE: 72310,3165
Bitnet: bdrew%igc.org@stanford
Internet: bdrew@igc.org
Administrative Court Judge Allan Klein released his long-
awaited recommendations to the Minnesota Public Utilities
Commission concerning Northern States Power Company's
application to store nuclear waste on Prairie Island.
Judge Klein concluded that the MPUC cannot grant NSP's
application until the Minnesota Legislature approves the
application or the MPUC resolves the issue of whether or not
NSP's application is for a permanent waste facility and that
the waste be transferred out of the state in a responsible
time period.
Kurt BlueDog, attorney for the Prairie Island Mdewakanton
Sioux Tribe, said, "On behalf of the Prairie Island Tribe we
are totally thrilled with the position that Judge Klein has
taken, agreeing with the tribe's position that the state
legislature has to take responsibility for this issue and
vote on it and that NSP must prove that this is not a
permanent facility.
"We also want to thank the thousands of people and
organizations who supported the tribe's effort to protect
our community. We are hopeful that the PUC will follow
Judge Klein's recommendation and direct this to the
legislature for their decision in the next session. We also
want to remind all of our supporters that the fight to
protect the Mississippi River is far from over and we need
their continued support."
George Crocker of the North American Water Office said,
"Judge Klein's decision provides a great economic
opportunity for the citizens of Minnesota. This decision
opens the door for sustainable energy management that relies
on the efficient use of renewable energy resources. It's
the first step away from the mounting costs and liabilities
attached to continued dependence on nuclear power. If the
commission follows through, the people of Minnesota will be
able to develop thousands of good jobs and generate billions
of additional dollars in economic activity through
investments in conservation, wind energy, sweet sorghum
biomass resources and other renewable energy technologies."
Speaking on behalf of the Prairie Island Coalition Against
Nuclear Storage, Heather Cusick of the Minnesota Public
Interest Research Group said, "This is a great kickoff for
our Earth Day Victory Rally on Wednesday, April 22, outside
Northern States Power's annual stockholder meeting at the
Minneapolis Convention Center."
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