Agenda & Public Notice for Next Scheduled Meeting

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COUNCIL MEETING
AGENDA
DATE: November 14, 2024
Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
245 Fallbrook Boulevard
Lincoln, Nebraska

10:00 AM (Central)
001 Roll Call
002 Announcements
003 Minutes of June 20, 2024 Meeting
004 Reports of EQC Members
005 Report of DEE Director
006 Old Business
007 New Business
008 Next Meeting
009 Public Hearing on the 2025 Funding Percent Allocations for the Litter Reduction and Recycling Program
010 Adjournment

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

AND PUBLIC MEETING
STATE OF NEBRASKA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY (NDEE)
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COUNCIL

Notice is hereby given pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. §81-1505(17), §84-907, and §84-1411, the Nebraska Environmental Quality Council (EQC) will hold a meeting and public hearings on November 14, 2024, beginning at 10:00 A.M. Central Time (CT) at 245 Fallbrook Blvd., Lincoln, Nebraska. Business items on the agenda will precede a hearing which is scheduled to begin at 10:00 A.M. CT or as soon thereafter as can reasonably be heard. The purpose of the hearing is to take testimony and evidence about the proposed Fiscal Year 2025 Funding Percentage Allocations for the Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Program.

The meeting agenda and a draft copy of the proposals scheduled for hearing are available at the NDEE’s Lincoln office, 245 Fallbrook Blvd, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE and on the NDEE website at https://dee.nebraska.gov.

All interested persons may attend and testify orally or by written submission at the public hearing. Interested persons may also submit written comments by mail addressed to: EQC, P.O. Box 98922, Lincoln, NE 68509-8922 or electronically to NDEE.eqc@nebraska.gov prior to the hearings, which will be entered into the hearing record if received by 5:00 P.M. CT, November 13, 2024.

Please notify the NDEE at least one week in advance of the EQC meeting if auxiliary aids or reasonable accommodations or alternate formats of materials are needed. Contact phone number is 402-471-2186. TDD users call 800-833-7352 and ask the relay operator to call us at 402-471-2186.

A public hearing will be held on the following:

1. Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Program, 2025 Funding Percentage Allocations. The NDEE administers the Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Fund in percentage amounts to grantees for projects within three categories: public education, cleanup, and recycling. Neb. Rev. Stat. §81-1561 requires the EQC to annually determine the percentages for each category. A statewide litter fee is the source of revenue for the fund. At this hearing, the EQC will take action on the NDEE recommendations for percentage amounts. For Year 2025, the NDEE recommends the following percentage allocations: recycling 28%, public education 68%, and cleanup 4% with additional approval to adjust these percentages by up to 20%. All persons affected by the proposed allocations are hereby notified that modifications may be offered to the proposed percentage allocations or the EQC may propose new allocations. The EQC will vote to adopt, amend or not approve the NDEE proposal after hearing and considering all the testimony and written submissions.