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​Featured Articles:
Environment, Food Security, Conflict Prevention

Poison in Nebraska

The AltEn Disaster

​The Nightmare Continues

​by Former State Senator and Nebraska Sierra Club Lobbyist Al Davis

Despite the many efforts of the Perivallon Group, Senator Carol Blood and others, it was impossible to pull LR 159 from the Executive Committee. LR 159 was introduced by Senator Blood in the 2021 Nebraska Legislative session and would have appointed a special legislative super-committee made up of members from multiple committees to examine the problems as they relate to the specific focus of each committee. The super-committee would have provided an opportunity for the Legislature itself to gather information on the AltEn disaster without a coat of whitewash splashed upon it by members of the Executive Branch. The refusal of certain committee members to even meet with those lobbying for the passage of the resolution is infuriating but not surprising given the polarized nature of the Unicameral.

However, there were some victories in the Legislature for the residents of Saunders County. Through the efforts of Senator Blood an allocation of funds was set aside to continue the testing of wells and the assessment of the health of humans residing in Saunders County. Senator Blood’s 11th hour effort to seek funds was supported by Senator Stinner who allowed Blood to attach an amendment to his priority bill. The question of whether this was germane was raised and the chair ruled against Senator Blood, but the vote to override the chair was successful and the amendment was adopted.

Unfortunately, there is little good news to report from Mead. The AltEn Facility Response Group (AFRG) is a coalition of seed companies who came together to manage and address the environmental crisis after AltEn’s failure. AFRG entered a memorandum of understanding with the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy to implement a plan for cleanup. The first step in implementing that plan was to compile the pesticide-saturated wetcake onto one site and then to cover that material with a product known as Posi-shield which supposedly will protect rain and snowfall from coming into contact with the contaminated ground and then become contaminated itself. In February trucks and helicopters applied the Posi-shield to the product but a few weeks later it was obvious that wastewater within the wetcake itself had surfaced through the Posi-Shield creating large puddles on top of the material. Meanwhile under the Posi-shield the wetcake continues to decay and disintegrate which creates gas-filled voids.

Although NDEE had requested that AFRG install a liner under the wetcake, the AFRG declined to do so and NDEE did not push the issue. Not surprisingly, recent well field testing has indicated the presence of pesticides 50 feet below the surface which is within the Todd Valley Aquifer and will create a plume of contaminated water as the aquifer moves.

Further, a perplexing decline in water levels in one of the open lagoons full of pesticide-saturated wastewater indicates a potential troubling rip in the liner of that lagoon which may have allowed thousands of gallons of water to slip through the damaged liner into the soil.
The AFRG is currently addressing the hundreds of gallons of contaminated wastewater as a first step in remediation on the site. To do this the coalition has contracted with landowners to knife water into their fields The agreements with landowners stipulate how much water can be applied but only a few neighboring landowners have agreed to take water from the plant which limits the ability of the AFRG to make a significant dent in the amount of water onsite. In short it will take years just to eliminate the poisoned wastewater.

Last week NDEE held an informational meeting at the Mead School before conducting a hearing granting a permit to AltEn to dispose of wastewater onsite since their existing permit was expiring. Several individuals testified in opposition to the issuance of that hearing, based on the fact that AltEn is behind on back taxes, being sued by both the State of Nebraska and the seed companies, and is essentially only a zombie being held up by the AFRG to shield the seed companies from direct involvement. The permit has not been issued to date.
​
Finally, the question of management of the thousands of tons of wetcake remains unanswered. It seems certain that AltEn and its legacy will linger for another decade but answers must be provided and questions answered to restore the public’s faith in government and its ability to manage a toxic problem like this one.
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Nebraskans for Peace
P.O. Box 83466
Lincoln, NE 68501
402-475-4620
​nfpstate@nebraskansforpeace.org
  • Home
  • PRIORITIES
    • Anti-War & International Law
    • Social Justice
    • Environment, Food Security, Conflict Prevention
  • EVENTS
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
  • JOIN
  • Nebraska Report
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Featured Articles >
      • Articles: Anti-War & International Law >
        • Oct Nov Dec 2022 Civil War II Continued
        • July Aug Sept 2022 An Underground Civil War and Control of Nebraska
        • Apr June 2022 Sauce for Both Goose and Gander
        • Feb March 2022 Peace and Disarmament
        • Nov/Dec 2021 Bloated Pentagon Budget
        • July/August 2021 Nebraska a Nuclear Sponge?
        • May/June 2021 Amid Widespread Disease, Death and Poverty, Major World Powers Increased Their Military Spending in 2020
        • Mar/Apr 2021 Assessing the Environmental Risk of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent
        • Jan/Feb 2021 United Nations Outlaws Nuclear Weapons
      • Articles: Social Justice >
        • Oct Nov Dec 2022 Malcolm X : Celebrate with Action
        • July Aug Sept 2022 Omaha Together One Community Leads Statewide Effort
        • Apr June 2022 Niskithe Prayer Camp: Our Next Steps
        • Feb March 2022 Land Back: Everything Back
        • July/August 2021 The Critical Race Theory Controversy
        • May/June 2021 The Scourge of White Privilege
        • Mar/April 2021 LAND BACK: A Movement, A Spirit, A Practice
        • Jan/Feb 2021 Conversations on Racism and Anti-Racism
      • Articles: Environment, Food Security, ​Conflict Prevention >
        • Oct Nov Dec 2022 Degrowth: Connecting the Dots
        • July Aug Sept 2022 Degrowth: Adjusting Economy to Life (RATHER THAN VICE VERSA)
        • Apr June 2022 AltEn Nightmare Continues
        • Feb March 2022 Poison in Nebraska
        • Nov Dec 2021 Build Back Better Statement
        • July/August 2021 Change. It's What's for Dinner.
        • May/June 2021 Solve Climate by 2030
        • Mar/April 2021 The Future of Food
        • Jan/Feb 2021 Sen. Tom Brandt Introduces “Farm to School Program Act”
      • Articles: What's HOT in Global Warming >
        • Oct Nov Dec 2022 Climatic Gut Punches
        • July Aug Sept 2022 Where Was the Supreme Court When the Earth Burned?
        • Apr June 2022 War, Nationalism and Climate Change
        • Feb/March 2022 We are Asphyxiating the Ocean
        • Nov/Dec 2021 Is Global Warming Inevitable?
        • July/August 2021 Hitting The Spot
        • May/June 2021 Energy and Environment: Some Tough Questions
        • Mar/April 2021 Where Was Our Warming? It Was AWOL in the Arctic
      • Articles: HARD TRUTH >
        • Oct Nov Dec 2022 Science of Evil
        • July Aug Sept 2022 Top Five Big Lies from the Right
        • Apr June 2022 Building Beloved Communities
        • Feb March 2022 Thich Nhat and Hope
        • Nov Dec 2021 A Tribute to Tim Rinne
        • June/July 2021 A Methadone Testimonial
        • May/June 2021 Building Resilience in Post-Pandemic Rural Nebraska
        • Mar/April 2021 Nebraska is having a Flint, Michigan moment
  • ABOUT US
    • NFP History
    • Board Members
    • Chapters
    • Staff
  • Contact Us
  • NFP Scholarships
  • DONATE