North Dakota Senate approves nuclear waste storage bill via GrandforksHerald

By Amy Dalrymple / Bismarck Tribune

BISMARCK — A bill related to high-level radioactive waste received support on Friday, Feb. 15, in the North Dakota Senate.

Senate Bill 2037 sets up a framework for how the state would respond if the federal government ever designates North Dakota as a repository for nuclear waste.

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The North Dakota Community Alliance, a group of Pierce County citizens who have been following developments with nuclear waste storage and disposal, worked to promote amendments to the bill to better protect public safety. The group became engaged in 2016 after the U.S. Department of Energy proposed to drill an exploratory borehole near Rugby.

The bill approved Friday includes many, but not all, of the group’s suggestions.

Sen. Jessica Unruh, R-Beulah, chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the public will have another opportunity to provide input after the bill moves to the House.