The Prairie Island Indian Community is petitioning the federal government for a deeper look at the risks of on-site storage of radioactive waste. The secretary of the 882-member tribe, whose land sits next to the Prairie Island nuclear power plant, says outdoor casks holding casks of spent fuel rods have been there for decades longer than ever intended.

The Duluth News Tribune says the Lake Superior region is perfectly suited for entombing nuclear waste and that before area residents reflexively cringe, they should consider the benefits.

Officials at the Prairie Island nuclear power plant are investigating what it calls an "unusual event" after a piece of security equipment failed Wednesday afternoon, according to a news release. Xcel Energy said no radioactive material was released during the incident and there is no danger to the public or its workers.

The Prairie Island Indian community says the failure of two backup generators at the Prairie Island nuclear plant is "very troubling," the Rochester Post Bulletin reports. Xcel Energy shut down one of its two reactors at the plant near Red Wing on Tuesday. Xcel assured no radiation was released.

Xcel Energy has shut down two of its three nuclear reactors in Minnesota. At the Monticello plant a gasket needs repair and emergency generators are not working at one of the two reactors at Prairie Island. No radiation was released in either case. Xcel is buying electricity during the repairs, which should take a couple of days.

Dennis Koehl, currently the senior vice president and chief nuclear officer of Xcel Energy has been named the CEO of the South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Co. Koehl will leave in mid-September after nearly five years with the Minneapolis-based utility. The Business Journal reports an interim chief nuclear officer, responsible for the company's Prairie Island and Monticello nuclear plants, will be named soon.

The safety performance of the nuclear plant in Monticello will be the subject of a public meeting Tuesday set by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC found that the Monticello plant, owned by Xcel Energy, operated safely in 2011. The agency will also discuss its reaction to the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in Japan, including increased inspections at U.S. nuclear plants.