North Dakota Community Alliance

09/02/2025

ACTION ALERT! See the link below for the ND Legislature's Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee meeting TOMORROW, September 3rd regarding changes to the use of EERC rules, including revisions to use funding for High Level Radioactive Waste projects that will include above ground storage of High Level Radioactive waste in North Dakota.

VIDEO LINK: Live meeting tomorrow September 3 beginning at 9am
https://video.ndlegis.gov/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20250902/-1/34533

04/29/2025

SB2159: Passed: High Level Radioactive Waste Disposal with amendment to last paragraph #4 . https://legiscan.com/ND/text/SB2159

Before this bill was brought to the attention of the High Level Radioactive Waste Council, it had already "quietly" worked its way through the ND Senate and passed with almost no opposition.
When we took up the effort to stop the bill before the House vote, we were told there was little chance to stop it.
Unfortunately in four weeks, we were not able to stop it..... But, thanks to the outpouring of concerned citizens like you, we were able to gain support in the House of Representatives and amend SB2159.
By an outpouring of emailed opposition, we secured 32 NO votes which is 36 percent of the House. This was not expected by the bill supporters.

We were not able to "Kill the Bill" but were able to influence, amend and add some oversight and exclusions to the final version.
When it became evident that we may not secure a majority NO vote, we attempted to negotiate and were able to get the following oversights into an amended paragraph #4 in SB2159.
The ND Industrial Commission (Governor, Attorney General and Ag Commissioner) must be consulted and approve of any future EERC projects or studies involving High Level Nuclear Waste in North Dakota.
The ND High Level Radioactive Waste Advisory Council must now be consulted before future High Level Radioactive Waste studies or projects are pursued by the EERC. The council can then alert the public through media and/or actions such as an email campaign with information regarding potential High Level Radioactive Waste issues in our state.
The SB2159 amendment enables the EERC to use funding to conduct High Level Radioactive Waste studies for "above ground " projects. This inclusion of "above ground " was an undesired compromise that enabled the amendment to retain a prohibition on "below ground" High Level Radioactive waste projects. By keeping North Dakota "below ground" data out of the national spotlight, we are hopeful to deter future underground High Level Nuclear Waste Borehole projects in ND.
For more information take a look at the floor debate prior to the vote.

SB2159 debate begins at 2:hours 36 minutes in the linked recording below.
https://video.ndlegis.gov/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20250409/-1/33991

69th Legislative Assembly - House

03/27/2025

ACTION ALERT!!!
The following bills are quickly moving through the 69th ND Legislature. Your voice is needed! Please consider emailing your opposition to the Energy and Natural Resource committee and any/all ND State Representatives ASAP. At the end of this post is a list of email addresses for the Legislative Members who have sponsored SB2159.

For your own research/information, take a look at the following links regarding the future of high level radioactive waste storage in rural North Dakota.

SB2159: High Level Radioactive Waste Disposal prohibition Challenged by EERC (if passed: Final paragraph would be removed.) https://legiscan.com/ND/text/SB2159
SB 1025 : ND Nuclear Power study: https://legiscan.com/ND/text/SB1025
SB 2023 Use of State Lands : https://legiscan.com/ND/text/SB2302/id/3110568

OPPOSITION TO SB2159 is the first step in slowing down this fast moving train. The ND Community Alliance is opposed to SB2159 whose intent is to remove the prohibition of testing, exploration of and searching for sites for disposal or storage of
High Level Radioactive Waste, from new or existing sources, within or from outside the state of North Dakota. SB2159 requests the striking out of a prohibitive clause that governs the EERC through
ND Century Code 15-11-40. If successful, this opens a door for the future possibility of EERC funds being used for proposed exploration of High Level Radioactive waste storage and disposal in North Dakota. The prohibitive clause the SB2159 seeks to remove, does not impede or prohibit the EERC, from the exploration and pursuit of new Low Level Radioactive Waste technologies.

If passed SB2159, would potentially take the EERC out of its current compliance and current alignment with NDCC 38-23-01 which is the Century code that governs High Level Radioactive waste disposal and storage in North Dakota. If SB2159 is passed, the potential for EERC testing and exploration for siting, storage
and disposal of High Level Radioactive waste will open a door for the collection of data and the consideration of the Federal government or other private companies for a High Level Radioactive Waste storage site in North Dakota. If SB2159 passes it opens a path to High Level Radioactive Waste storage that has
already been soundly rejected by the citizens of North Dakota from 1980's through 2019 legislation. We are not opposed to "new technologies"; and uses of nuclear power for the economic
benefit of North Dakota that create Low Level Waste and have the potential to provide additional energy and economic security for our state. We know High Level Radioactive Waste Storage is not an industry that we want for North Dakota nor for our rural
communities.

For these reasons we ask you to express your opposition to SB2159 which seeks to remove an important prohibition to testing and exploration for sighting, storage and disposal of High Level Radioactive waste in North Dakota.

Please consider emailing your opposition to the Energy and Natural Resource committee and any/all ND State Representatives ASAP.

The following email addresses are for the Legislative Members
who have sponsored SB2159. Be sure to put "SB2159" in your email subject line.

Representative Dick Anderson: [email protected]
Representative Todd Porter : [email protected]
Chairman Representative Jared Hagert : [email protected]
Senator David Houge : [email protected]
Senator Greg Kessel: [email protected]

Our Local Representatives for District 14:
Senator Jerry Klein: [email protected]
Representative Jon Nelson: [email protected]
Representative Robin Weisz: [email protected]

ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE
Glen Bosch [email protected]
Liz Conmy [email protected]
Anna Novak [email protected]
Jeremy Olson [email protected]
Zachary Ista [email protected]
Jim Kaspar [email protected]
Andrew Marschall [email protected]
Pat Heinert [email protected]

Bill Text (2025-03-25) The powers of the board of university and school lands and leases on state lands. [Returned to Senate]

06/09/2023

https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-awards-26-million-support-consent-based-siting-spent-nuclear-fuel #:~:text=WASHINGTON%2C%20D.C.%20%E2%80%94%20The%20U.S.%20Department,process%20known%20as%20consent%2Dbased

US DOE has awarded the Consent Based Siting grant funding. We don't see any ND based orgs on the list, but it is something to keep in mind. We also don't see Battelle in the list this time around. These orgs will be producing frameworks and plans for how to choose sites for waste sites, with community consent. We look forward to seeing what types of plans they submit.

Funding Provides Engagement and Training Resources for Communities Interested in Learning More About Interim Storage

09/22/2022

A follow up to our last post that was quite awhile ago! Looks like Consent Based Siting is back on track. A grant based opportunity for groups to have a say in how the DOE moved forward. *This does NOT mean any storage projects are immediately forthcoming.* But it means to keep an eye out for how this process progresses.

Funding Will Support Communities Interested in Learning About Interim Storage

12/06/2021

https://www.powermag.com/doe-revives-consent-based-siting-process-for-commercial-spent-nuclear-fuel-disposal/

Looks like consent based siting protocols are back. These are good, in as much as citizens can voice their opinion and demand answers. But it means there’s a project or plan in the wings for siting of waste.

There’s a zoom call for all interested parties on Dec 7. Details on www.energy.gov/consentbasedsiting

Potentially jumpstarting long-paralyzed efforts to address the federal management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Nov.

08/17/2019

A landfill north of Williston could soon become the first facility in North Dakota to accept higher levels of radioactive oilfield waste under new state regulations.

04/30/2019

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/30/716837443/as-nuclear-waste-piles-up-private-companies-pitch-new-ways-to-store-it

03/20/2019

Tune in for the vote on SB 2037 this afternoon!! Should be happening around 2pm. Rugby High School students are also in attendance on the House Floor today for for their class with Mr. Leier.

66th Legislative Assembly - House

03/12/2019

Hello All! The time is here to call and email your legislators!! Tell them to support a ban on high level nuclear waste! This one's a no-brainer. Protect our ag industry and our beautiful state!

03/01/2019

What do you think about this bill, ? Should property owners have their underground pore spaces filled with substances without their consent or without compensation?

A bill passed unanimously in the North Dakota Senate is being questioned by a major property rights group in the state.