LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy has sent invitations to schools across the state seeking students’ entries for the 2023 “Nebraska: Don’t Waste It!” environmental calendar. The contest is open to all Nebraska students from grades K through 12, and the submission deadline is May 2, 2022.

When a petroleum or chemical spill takes place that could pose a hazard to public health or the environment, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy has trained team members who provide technical and regulatory assistance.

NDEE’s Emergency Response Team is on call 24 hours a day. The team has the ability to respond to and investigate spills. They provide initial assistance to local emergency responders. This team also works closely with local, state and federal agencies involved in the emergency response.

While state statutes authorize the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) to administer its programs, the Environmental Quality Council (EQC) is authorized to adopt the agency’s rules and regulations. These rules and regulations describe how the agency implements state statutes and guide the agency’s activities and responsibilities.

April 4, 2022 -- The Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) has issued the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISW-GP) NER920000. This general permit authorizes discharges of storm water associated with industrial activities to waters of the State, Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems, or Combined Sewer Systems. The permit is applicable statewide to 11 categories of industrial activities.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE), in partnership with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), alerts Nebraskans to potential smoke impacts during the spring, when ranchers in the Flint Hills region of Kansas and Oklahoma, and elsewhere throughout the region conduct prescribed burns.

Lincoln – The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy and its partners have begun weekly sampling of public lakes across Nebraska.

This sampling will test for harmful algal blooms (HABs), also known as toxic blue-green algae, and E. coli bacteria at 53 public recreational lakes across the state. The testing takes place annually from May through September.

As Nebraskans begin spending time outdoors or going on vacation, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy ensures seasonal water systems are up and running properly so everyone has access to clean drinking water.

Nebraska has 90 seasonal systems that include places like golf courses, state recreational areas and RV parks. A seasonal system is defined as a non-community water system that is closed to the public for 90 consecutive days per year. It needs to start up at the beginning of its operating season and shut down properly at the end of the season.

Grants for 2023 for the Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive, Litter Reduction and Recycling, and Scrap Tire programs can be submitted between July 13 and August 24, 2022 (4:00 p.m. CST). The grant term will be January 1 through December 31, 2023. Grant decisions will be announced in December 2022. An estimated $3 million will be available for Litter grants and $4.5 million for Waste grant awards.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) and its partners have begun weekly sampling for harmful algal blooms (HABs) at Nebraska’s public lakes.

Between May and September, the state tests for HABs at 53 public lakes each week to protect public health. HABs, also referred to as toxic blue-green algae, refer to certain strains of cyanobacteria that produce the toxin microcystin. HABs are caused by a combination of factors: water temperature, low water depths and high levels of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.

During an assessment of the Nox-Crete warehouse fire site in Omaha and surrounding areas Thursday, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) observed charred debris that had been dispersed by the fire. NDEE discovered the debris at a location approximately 1.25 miles east-southeast of the facility.