North Dakota has carved out a huge stake in the future as an energy exporter. We've got coal, and we believe we know how to mine it and burn it clean. We've got wind, and it keeps blowing. We've plenty of sun, corn on the stalk and fields for switch grass. The state has energy opportunity and a certain flexibility based on diverse energy resources. North Dakota has become an energy booster despite some nagging questions about carbon emissions and the cost effectiveness of ethanol.

Oh, yes. We also have uranium.

Nuclear power isn't getting a big boost, but there are signs it's coming back from Three Mile Island like Lazarus from the grave. Many people are uncomfortable with the possibility. But you never know. The French do it. And circumstances could make nuclear power plants very necessary in the U.S. at some time in the future.

But perhaps more than a resurgence of nuclear power, North Dakotans are likely to find their discomfort in the mining of uranium for use in nuclear power plants. Mining and extracting the uranium from coal, by burning, raises the specter of significant health risk for the people who live nearby, primarily in the southwestern part of the state.

What's brought concern about uranium mining to the conversation now is a request by a company to prospect for uranium in the Little Missouri National Grasslands in Slope and Billings counties with the intention of some day developing an open pit mine. There are so many questions about the possibility of this coming to pass, one hardly knows where to begin.

If there's a possibility of uranium mining in North Dakota's future, on private, state or federal land, then we as a state need to make sure that we have the right tools in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved. That means having the right rules and regulations. That means being ahead of any significant prospecting, leasing or mining. It's something the 2009 Legislature must address.

While it makes good sense for North Dakota to take advantage of its energy resources, common sense dictates we do it smart, right and safely.