Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers sued the Omaha Public Power District to try and delay or derail efforts to pull offline some units at the coal and natural gas North Omaha Power Station. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)
LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker wants to stop public power district boards from closing or altering energy generation facilities in the state, in a move that appears aimed at preventing migration from coal to other sources of power.
State Sen. Jared Storm of David City, who introduced Legislative Bill 1026, said his bill would still allow Nebraska’s locally elected public power districts to close or alter plants if the closure was mandated by state or federal law, if the plant is “mechanically” unsafe to operate, if the facility is damaged “beyond repair” by a natural disaster or if the plant is no longer economical…