Gov. Pillen Celebrates Cleanup at AltEn Site; Highlights Progress and Next Steps

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Laura Strimple, (402) 580-9495

Gov. Pillen Celebrates Cleanup at AltEn Site; Highlights Progress and Next Steps

MEAD, NE - Today, Governor Jim Pillen celebrated the tremendous progress made during his administration to clean up the solid and liquid waste left in the aftermath of the shutdown of the AltEn facility site in Mead. Gov. Pillen was joined by Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE) Director Jesse Bradley, Saunders County Board Supervisor Bill Reece and Don Gunster, an environmental contractor for ERM Newfields.

"Cleanup of this site was among my top priorities when I took office, and I'm proud of the fact that when we got involved, a lot of people rolled up their sleeves and collaborated to fix this problem," said Gov. Pillen. "This cleanup has cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but it won't cost Nebraska taxpayers a dime."

Lieutenant Governor Joe Kelly, who has attended community meetings about the clean-up efforts, acknowledged the concerns he and the Governor shared in 2022 when they discussed the situation in Mead and wondered -- what if the same thing happened in their own hometowns?

"The Governor had his eye on this problem from the get-go," added Lt. Gov. Kelly.

In addition to serving on the Saunders County Board, Reece has been a member of the Mead Community Group, which has closely monitored developments at the site.

"The Mead community and nearby residents have been resilient throughout these cleanup efforts. They know their town is worth standing up for and we're glad to see the progress that has been made at AltEn," said Supervisor Reece. "I want to thank the State and the AltEn Facility Response Group (AFRG) for being responsive, responsible, professional and timely and for keeping the community informed during every step of the remediation."

The now-closed AltEn facility made ethanol using treated seed corn, which generated pesticide-impacted byproducts that were improperly stored on site. AltEn shut down in February 2021. In June 2021, six seed companies came together and formed the AFRG to remediate the site through the state's Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP). Those seed companies are AgReliant Genetics, Bayer, Beck's Superior Hybrids, Corteva Agriscience, Syngenta Seeds, and WinField Solutions.

Because the AFRG is working through the VCP, the remedial actions have been completed at no cost to Nebraska taxpayers.

Through the VCP, the AFRG has carried out remedial action plans (RAPs) for the site's wetcake byproducts and the wastewater stored in the site's industrial lagoons. The RAP cleanup efforts completed to date include:

• Combining 84,000 tons of wetcake with solidifying material for transport and disposal at a permitted landfill
• Nearly 7,300 trucks moving over 165,000 tons of mixed material to Pheasant Point Landfill
• Treating millions of gallons of wastewater from the industrial lagoons for beneficial application to nearby agricultural fields

The AFRG has also improved stormwater controls on site.

"There has been a lot of great work done at the AltEn facility," said Director Bradley. "But there is more to be done, and our team at DWEE is committed to continue this work with the AFRG and the community to ensure that the site is cleaned up and the Mead community continues to thrive."

"We have made significant progress and value the community's partnership and support from DWEE," added Don Gunster with ERM Newfields. "The AltEn site has been stabilized, and we are planning the remaining activities to complete the job."

Moving forward, the AFRG will submit and complete RAPs for lagoon solids, groundwater and on-site soils, per a memorandum of agreement between the group and DWEE. Those plans will ensure that continued and sustained progress occurs at the site. The AFRG and DWEE have also agreed to complete future off-site environmental investigations to determine if an off-site RAP is necessary.