Prairie Island joins nuclear waste legal challenge
Published 9:49 am Wednesday, October 29, 2014
RED WING — The Prairie Island Indian Community is joining three states in a lawsuit over the storage of nuclear waste.
The tribe said it will join with New York, Connecticut and Vermont in a lawsuit against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant near Red Wing is just 600 yards from the tribal community. The NRC in August opened the door for on-site nuclear waste storage for 100 years or more. The tribe said the NRC has failed to do a complete analysis of the risks associated with the onsite storage of nuclear waste.
Prairie Island plant executive Kevin Davison agrees with the NRC assessment that the nuclear waste is safely stored near Red Wing. But, Davison said the federal government still has an obligation to create another storage option.