State Legislature

Nebraska bill would change local approval process

A bill introduced in the Nebraska legislature would make changes to the local permitting process for new or expanding livestock operations.

LB 106 directs the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to develop an assessment matrix for use by county officials when determining whether to approve a livestock application. Jay Rempe of Nebraska Farm Bureau says it will help bring more consistency and predictability to the approval process.

“The county has to use this matrix as a tool to score that operation on various elements—odor control, manure management, setback distances—the whole gamut,” Rempe says. “The final decision is then made by the county, using the information from the matrix—and taking in (public) testimony.”

The Nebraska Association of County Officials supports the bill. Executive director Larry Dix says that, in the past, emotion has tended to override the facts in livestock expansion decisions.

“Many of those reasons, over the years, have been based on emotions,” Dix says. “People simply saying ‘Not in my backyard. I don’t want this. I know I live out in the country but, oh by the way, I really don’t want agriculture next door to me’.”

Dix says the legislation would maintain local control for the county, but also ensure livestock farmers aren’t in the dark on whether they have a realistic chance for approval.

LB106 was introduced by Senator Dan Watermeier of Syracuse.

AUDIO: Excerpts from Farm Bureau-sponsored telephone news conference to discuss LB106 with Nebraska media