Investigating Governor Pillen’s $2.5 Million No-Bid Contract

Environmental Impacts: A Devastating Assault on Nebraska’s Natural Resources

Critics argue that the BioEconomy initiative, despite its greenwashing rhetoric, represents a catastrophic threat to Nebraska’s fragile ecosystems, potentially accelerating environmental degradation on an unprecedented scale. The massive industrial projects being pushed forward under this banner could irreversibly drain the lifeblood of the state’s water supplies, poison the air and soil, and exacerbate climate chaos, all while masquerading as “sustainable” development.

Take the Ogallala Aquifer, the underground reservoir that sustains agriculture across the Great Plains: the DG Fuels facility alone demands staggering amounts of water for its operations, threatening to suck this vital resource dry at a time when drought and overuse are already pushing it toward collapse. Local residents in Phelps County have voiced horror at the prospect of industrial-scale extraction, warning that it could lead to widespread sinkholes, contaminated groundwater, and the desertification of fertile farmlands. Even the company’s abandoned plan to import water by rail from out of state reeks of desperation, highlighting how these projects are fundamentally unsustainable and poised to create a water crisis that could devastate rural communities for generations.

Soil health fares no better under this reckless agenda. The relentless removal of millions of tons of corn stover for biofuel production strips the land bare, robbing it of essential nutrients and organic matter that prevent erosion and maintain fertility. Farmers fear a nightmare scenario of barren fields, increased pesticide runoff into rivers and streams, and a vicious cycle of soil exhaustion that could turn Nebraska’s breadbasket into a dust bowl reminiscent of the 1930s. Without adequate crop residue, wind and water erosion will accelerate, choking waterways with sediment and turning productive acres into lifeless wastelands, all for the sake of feeding inefficient factories that prioritize profit over planetary health.

And the emissions? Don’t be fooled by the glossy promises of carbon reductions. Facilities like DG Fuels and Citroniq are far from zero-emission miracles; they spew potent greenhouse gases, volatile organic compounds, and potential carcinogens into the atmosphere, blanketing nearby communities in toxic haze. In Louisiana, where DG Fuels has faced fierce opposition, locals decry it as another death sentence in “Cancer Alley,” where industrial pollution already dooms residents to sky-high rates of respiratory diseases, cancers, and premature deaths. Nebraska risks importing this nightmare, with methane leaks from anaerobic digesters, nitrous oxide from intensified fertilizer use, and unproven “carbon sequestration” schemes that could fail spectacularly, releasing stored CO₂ back into the warming atmosphere and supercharging extreme weather events like floods and heatwaves that are already ravaging the state.

Even the ONE RED grant’s touted incentives for “sustainable” practices ring hollow: electrification of irrigation might cut diesel fumes, but it ramps up energy demands on an outdated grid, potentially leading to more fossil fuel dependency and blackouts. Solar installations over feedlots sound innovative, but they fragment habitats, disrupt wildlife corridors, and introduce heavy metals and e-waste into fragile ecosystems. Biochar and biogas hubs? They’re Trojan horses for industrial-scale livestock operations that amplify methane belches, manure lagoons that leach nitrates into drinking water, and a feedback loop of deforestation for biomass feedstocks that decimates biodiversity.

In short, this BioEconomy push is an environmental apocalypse in the making, draining aquifers to the brink, eroding soils to dust, and pumping poisons into the air—all while enriching a select few insiders at the expense of Nebraska’s natural heritage and the health of its people. What’s billed as “full-value agriculture” is nothing more than a full-scale assault on the planet, ensuring that future generations inherit a scorched, depleted wasteland instead of the thriving prairies that once defined the Cornhusker State.

It’s painfully obvious that Nebraska Leaders have conspired with Lobbyists and Green New Deal Energy Scam artists to bilk the Federal/State Government for Taxpaying Citizens of Nebraska’s hard earned money, water, land and food which in turn would have global economic and health consequences.

As Nebraska pursues its ambitious bio-industrial future, the handling of the foundational consulting contracts should be under scrutiny and investigations until every dollar is accounted for and every person responsible is held accountable, including the elite billionaire class.