Friday, March 9, 2012

Committee members' absence delays Iowa nuclear plant hearing

A Senate panel on Thursday canceled a hearing on a measure involving plans to build a nuclear power plant.

Commerce Committee chairman Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, said he lacked the votes needed to pass a bill intended to aid planning for MidAmerican Energy’s proposed nuclear plant in Iowa.

The proposal initially was expected to pass by a single vote, and its prospects dimmed further when some committee members were unable to attend Thursday’s meeting.

If the committee approved the amended bill, which now requires MidAmerican to build the plant if the Iowa Utilities Board approves it, the matter would go to the full Senate, where its future is uncertain. The Senate bill is substantially different than the one passed earlier by the House.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, has spoken favorably about the bill. But he isn’t sure how the Democrat-controlled Senate will respond to the committee legislation, he said.

“I’ll do the same thing I do with any bill,” Gronstal said. “I’ll take it to the members and see if there are enough votes to pass it. They don’t want to talk about it until it gets out of committee.”

The legislation, House File 561, does not directly raise utility rates or approve a license for the project, which also would have to be approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The House version would allow MidAmerican to charge customers for some work before the plant is built, which has brought stiff opposition from AARP and environmental groups.


Environmentalists contend the bill would allow MidAmerican to charge customers even if the plant never were built. They contend the plant isn’t needed, and they say the nuclear disaster in Japan is evidence power companies should look to alternative energy and conservation for new power, not nuclear.

MidAmerican says nuclear is a safe and cheap way to meet growing demands. If the plant isn’t built, the utility would consider a natural gas-powered facility, but utility leaders fear rapidly changing prices for gas.

McCoy said the Senate version has more protections for consumers, not allowing MidAmerican to charge customers until the Iowa Utilities Board rules it is feasible and approves the financing package.

“We think this protects consumers,” McCoy said.

McCoy said the committee meeting will be rescheduled next week.

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