The artwork of 13 Nebraska students will be featured in the 2025 “Nebraska: Don’t Waste It!” environmental calendar. The statewide contest is sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) and focuses on the importance of waste reduction, recycling and litter cleanup.

Since 1986, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) has administered the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program to protect groundwater quality in the state of Nebraska.

This program regulates the construction and operation of injection wells and permits the injection of fluid into the subsurface via an injection well.

A fluid is defined as any substance that flows or moves including gases, liquids, or solids. An injection well can be any bored, drilled, driven, or dug excavation with a depth greater than its width.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) regulates the processing and disposal of all solid waste in the state through the Integrated Waste Management (IWM) Program. The purpose of the IWM Program is to ensure proper management of solid waste. Regulations for solid waste disposal are incorporated in Title 132 – Integrated Solid Waste Management Regulations.
 

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) will accept grant applications for its 2025 Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive, Litter Reduction and Recycling, and Scrap Tire programs beginning June 26 until 4 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2024.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s (NDEE) Chemigation Program works to ensure that those using irrigation systems to apply fertilizers and pesticides do not contaminate sources of irrigation water.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) annually monitors waterbodies for contaminants in fish through Nebraska’s Fish Tissue Monitoring Program (FTMP) program.

Data gathered from these monitoring efforts are used to assess risk to humans from consuming impacted fish, posting consumption advisories, measuring long-term trends in regional contaminants such as pesticides, metals, and PCBs, and to monitor for emerging contaminants of concern. The data helps to answer the question, “Are the fish safe to eat?”

Nebraska's 2024 Ambient Air Monitoring Network Plan is available for public comment. The Network Plan was developed to comply with Federal regulation 40 CFR Part 58.10.

The Network Plan describes the existing ambient air monitoring network in Nebraska and sets forth planned changes through June 2025. It also contains information on Nebraska’s air quality. During the 30-day public comment period, written comments regarding this Network Plan may be submitted to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) at the mail or email addresses below.

Mail:

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) will cohost a free, in-person workshop on state and federal resources available to assist with redevelopment of brownfields sites alongside the Technical Assistance to Brownfields Program (TAB) at Kansas State University and the Neligh Economic Development Office. This workshop is made possible by funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) and its partners are preparing to start harmful algal bloom (HAB) sampling season at Nebraska’s public lakes.

Between May and September, the state tests for HABs at 50 public lakes (55 beach sites) 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.