Latest News from the Governor's Office

CONTACT:

Laura Strimple, (402) 580-9495

Gov. Pillen Appoints Carney as County Court Judge in the Seventh Judicial District

LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen announced his appointment of Patrick P. Carney of Norfolk as county court judge in the Seventh Judicial District. That district consists of Antelope, Cuming, Madison, Knox, Madison, Pierce, Stanton, and Wayne counties.

Carney founded Carney Law PC LLO in Norfolk where he handles a variety of legal issues including criminal matters, estate planning, real estate, business formation and family law. On a contractual basis, he also acts as a public defender in Antelope County.  Carney practiced at Balsiger & Carney from 1997 to 2006.

Carney continues to serve on the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy to which he was appointed in 2022, which provides legal services free of charge. He has served in a variety of leadership positions for the Madison County Bar Association, including as its president. Carney also previously served on the board of Behavioral Health Specialties, Inc., a non-profit that provides mental health care, counseling and addiction services in Northeast Nebraska.

Carney, a native Nebraskan, received his bachelor’s degree from Kearney State College. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law.

The judicial vacancy is due to the appointment of Michael L Long to the district court.

CONTACT:

Laura Strimple, (402) 580-9495

Gov. Pillen Provides Statement and Information About 2026 Opportunity Zone Designations

LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen released the following statement promoting Opportunity Zones and previewing the process the State of Nebraska will use to determine designations next year. Opportunity Zones are economic development tools established as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump to help promote investment and drive economic growth in low-income and/or economically disadvantaged communities. The initiative was extended and made permanent through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) of 2025.

“Opportunity Zones are powerful tools that help create jobs and growth in areas that need new investment,” said Gov. Pillen. “As we work through this process, we’re grateful for President Trump’s support of these community-changing efforts. We can help revitalize neighborhoods and build new, long-lasting opportunities – which are good for taxpayers across our state and great for Nebraska’s economic growth too.”

Updated data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s yearly American Community Survey is scheduled to be released tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 11 and will be used to determine Opportunity Zone census tract eligibility based on the poverty and income requirements outlined in the OBBBA. 

It’s anticipated that additional information will be released from the federal government about Opportunity Zone census tracts in early 2026, including the certification of which tracts are eligible.

 Next spring, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) will issue additional guidance. 

The U.S. Treasury Department will begin accepting Opportunity Zone nominations from states beginning July 1, 2026 and will have 90 days to review/approve. Census tracts approved by the U.S. Treasury Department for Opportunity Zone designation go into effect on January 1, 2027. 

For questions, please contact ded.opportunityzones@nebraska.gov.

CONTACT:

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.

CONTACT:

Laura Strimple, (402) 580-9495

Gov. Pillen Comments on MS-13 Gang Leader, Illegal Alien Arrest in Grand Island

LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen, a staunch defender of border security, released the following statement after the Department of Justice announced the arrest of a Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, a leader of the terroristic MS-13 gang and Honduran assassin, living illegally in Grand Island.   

“Joe Biden’s immigration policies failed the American people — and continues to put innocent Nebraskans directly in danger,” said Gov. Pillen. “Cuadra Soto, a leader of the terrorist MS-13 gang and Honduran assassin, entered the United States illegally in 2022 under Biden’s watch — eventually obtaining a California driver’s license before establishing a residence in Grand Island.  

Here’s the simple truth: Weak borders put our families at risk. Thankfully, under conservative Republican leadership, our border has never been more secure. I’m proud to partner with President Trump and his team of border security hawks, including Border Czar Tom Homan and Secretary Kristi Noem as their teams track down these criminal illegal aliens and make them pay for their crimes.”  

Earlier this year, Gov. Pillen partnered with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to utilize the Work Ethic Camp (WEC) in McCook as a federal detention center for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  

“This is yet another frustrating case of exactly why the ICE detention facility in McCook is absolutely critical to keeping Nebraskans safe,” concluded Gov. Pillen.  

Last month, Gov. Pillen returned to the southern border to receive an update on the progress being made and to serve Thanksgiving meals to service members. It was the Governor’s fourth trip to the border, having previously deployed members of the Nebraska National Guard and Nebraska State Patrol to aid Operation Lone Star multiple times.

Contact:

Laura Strimple, (402)-580-9495

Flags to Fly at Half-Staff for Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Lincoln, NE – Governor Jim Pillen has announced that all U.S. and Nebraska flags are to be flown at half-staff on Sunday, Dec. 7, in honor of the men and women who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Governor encourages Nebraskans to pause and remember the sacrifice of the more than 2300 service members and civilians on that fateful day.  

A resolution approved by Congress in 1994 designates Dec. 7 of each year as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and directs that flags be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset.