Regional Government approves Bill giving more power to environmental regulators | Regional Government

The bill (LB1102) by Sen. Bruce Bostelman from Brainard gives the department’s director the authority to issue cease and desist letters to companies that pose a threat to the environment or people.

It also allows the department, which was also approved Friday by lawmakers, to start cleanups using a $300,000.00 cash fund and to recover costs from companies or individuals that are responsible for the contamination.

The bill was based on an interim study done last year in response to AltEn (an ethanol plant near Mead) that was identified as the source for contamination in the surrounding region.

Bostelman stated that the bill was forward-looking, and would help to stop polluters in future.

It was accepted by the Second Round on a 40-0 vote.

Two senators who voted for the bill said they were unsure if LB1102 gave the Department of Environment and Energy enough power to stop bad actors before any serious damage was done.

Omaha Sen. John Cavanaugh said that the bill wasn’t as strong as he wanted.

Cavanaugh stated that “this is a complex issue.” “We are trying make it strong, but not too cumbersome that we are forcing agencies to take action when it is not necessary.”

Bellevue senator Carol Blood introduced several bills as a response to the AltEn crises. She expressed hope that lawmakers would strengthen the bill prior to the next debate.

Blood said, “I would like to know when we’re going give some things some real teeth.” “NDEE already does what we intend to do… we would love to see it go further.”

Bostelman stated that the bill was based on Kansas and Missouri’s environmental cleanup laws. It gave the Department of Environment and Energy additional tools to address environmental concerns.