March 3, 2016 – The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality is now accepting proposals from contractors for the investigation and remediation of petroleum releases where the responsible party is unknown. Proposals are due no later than 1 p.m. on April 14, 2016.

March 29, 2016 – The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has scheduled its annual Environmental Update workshops to be held in three locations in Nebraska this May:

Tuesday, May 17 – North Platte, Holiday Inn Express and Suites, 300 Holiday Frontage Rd

Thursday, May 19 – Omaha, Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine Street

Friday, May 20 – Lincoln, Country Inn and Suites, 5353 N. 27th Street

The third annual Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference (MECC) will be held May 11-13, 2016, in Kansas City. This multi-media event is designed for those charged with managing environmental permitting, compliance and other policy issues.

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) will be sending several key speakers to the event and will also host an NDEQ breakout session on May 12. For more information, visit the MECC website at www.mecconference.com.

On April 8, 2016, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) received a Notice of Intent from Heritage Disposal and Storage to locate a hazardous waste incinerator at their current property located at 345 So. 80th Road, Alda. The site is on the former Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant property west of Grand Island. Heritage intends to install the incinerator to dispose of Department of Defense smoke grenades and related materials.

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Director Jim Macy announced today that the state is awarding $2.08 million to support 128 tire recycling and cleanup projects across the state.

"The agency received many outstanding applications from across the state,” Macy said. “These funds will provide needed support to local efforts which effectively deal with scrap tires in Nebraska.”

Photos here and video here.
 

The newly-formed Site Review Committee, assigned to review and report on a hazardous waste management facility proposed by Heritage Disposal and Storage, has announced their second meeting will be held at 4:00 p.m. May 24th at the Alda Community Center. The meeting is open to the public.

May 25, 2016 -- NDEQ plans to conduct an information session in Grand Island on June 1 to discuss livestock regulations with producers and those interested in building poultry barns. NDEQ will also discuss air regulations for those considering incinerators, and stormwater construction permitting.

The session will be held 9 a.m. June 1, 2016 at the Central Platte NRD office, 215 Kaufman Avenue, Grand Island.

On May 2, the state began its weekly monitoring of toxic blue-green algae and bacteria at 50 public lakes in Nebraska. Sampling will continue weekly through September.

To date, there have not been any health alerts issued for toxic blue-green algae, because no lakes exceeded the state’s health alert threshold of 20 parts per billion (ppb) of total microcystin (a toxin released by certain strains of blue-green algae.) Lakes that are placed on health alert must have two consecutive weeks of readings below the threshold before the alert is discontinued.

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Director Jim Macy today announced the awarding of $3,454,825 in grants through the Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grant Fund.