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Ron Johnson, Welch
The Republican Eagle - 04/17/2008
To the Editor:

The Prairie Island Indian Community has very serious concerns about the proposed re-licensing and the potential increase in the amount of nuclear waste to be stored indefinitely near our tribal community. With no concrete solution to the storage problem, we question the wisdom of extending the life of this or any nuclear power plant.

The Prairie Island plant is located next door to the Prairie Island Indian Community. Twin nuclear reactors and two dozen large cement nuclear waste storage casks currently sit just 600 yards from our homes.

If the plant is relicensed for an additional 20 years, a total of 65 casks would be necessary. Each storage cask contains 40 spent fuel assemblies, which represents approximately 25 tons of nuclear waste.

Until the federal government makes good on its promise to solve the nuclear waste storage issue, it is irresponsible to consider expanding the use of nuclear power in Minnesota or any state.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are 125 temporary nuclear waste storage sites throughout the country, with more than 169 million Americans living within 75 miles of one of these temporary facilities. Prairie Island is among the closest.

Twenty-five years after Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and mandated the establishment of a national repository, the future of the nation's nuclear waste disposal program remains very much in doubt.

The proposed spent-fuel repository at Nevada's Yucca Mountain has suffered numerous setbacks and now may never open.

Ron Johnson is president of the Prairie Island Tribal Council.