Bill Undoing Minn. Nuclear Ban Gets Senate Hearing

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The Minnesota Senate's top leader is pushing to undo a state ban on new nuclear power plants.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch presents a bill Tuesday to undo a 17-year-old moratorium on construction of nuclear energy facilities. The hearing is before a Senate energy and utilities panel.

It's the bill's first hearing in the Senate. Companion legislation has already been on the move in the House.

Minnesota has two existing nuclear power plants near Monticello and Red Wing.

The proposal appears to have momentum in the GOP-led Legislature but Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton voiced support for the nuclear moratorium on the campaign trail last year.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)