Climate Justice

The 2025 session of the Nebraska legislature concluded on June 2. Not much relating directly to climate change was adopted, but what was enacted and signed by the governor is described below.  In some cases, the original bill was merged into another bill, which was then adopted. The descriptions of those enacted bills are followed by descriptions of the climate-related bills that either remained in committee or had failed to advance to Final Reading when the session adjourned for the year. All those remaining bills will carry over for consideration by the legislature in 2026.

Bills that Were Not Enacted Either on Their Own or as Part of Another Bill but Will Carry Over for Consideration During the 2026 Legislative Session:

LB8: Introduced by Senator Dungan: In 2024 the legislature provided for tax credits for producers of sustainable aviation fuel but specified that those credits would be of the nonrefundable type and that there was a five-year limit on how long those credits could be claimed. This bill would change those credits to be of the refundable type (i.e., they would be subtracted from the tax owed, even if the amount of the credit is greater than the amount owed). The bill would also eliminate the five-year limit on those credits. Remains in the Revenue Committee.

LB23: Introduced by Senator John Cavanaugh: This bill would allow the Department of Economic Development to develop a program to provide grants to non-profit organizations to establish bike-sharing programs. The Legislature’s intent would be that $250,000 be appropriated for the department to establish the program. Remains in the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee.

LB121: Introduced by Senators Hardin and Lippincott: This bill would prohibit “Land disposal of solar panels, wind turbine blades and the component parts of solar panels and wind turbine blades.” Remains in by the Natural Resources Committee.

LB137: Introduced by Senator Dungan: This bill would prohibit HOAs and similar organizations from prohibiting or restricting the installation or use of solar energy systems or of pollinator gardens and would also prohibit the imposition of any fee by any such entity related to the installation or use of such systems or gardens. Remains in the Judiciary Committee.

LB163: Introduced by Senator Spivey: This bill would provide for the creation of the Office of Climate Action within the Department of Environment and Energy (to become the Department of Water, Energy and Environment on July 1, 2025).  Its purposes would include serving as the point of contact to assist with policies and programs dealing with climate action. The new office would be required to prepare a climate action plan for the state by July 1, 2026. (It is not clear how this new plan would relate to the climate action plan adopted by NDEE in 2024). This new office would also be required to annually prepare a report that details (1) how any legislation adopted the previous year supports, hinders or affects climate action; (2) the extent of federal funding secured for climate action; (3) the office’s collaboration with stakeholders, political subdivisions and organizations; (4) a synopsis of local climate action plans and programs; and (5) any recommendations for additional climate action through investment or activities. Remains in the Natural Resources Committee.

LB207: Introduced by Senator von Gillern: Current law imposes an additional fee of $150 for registration of any alternative fuel vehicle except motorcycles and plug in hybrids for which the fee is $75. This bill would increase the fee to $450 for commercially registered alternative fuel vehicles with a gross weight of more than 7,500 pounds. An amendment proposed by the committee would limit the $450 fee to commercially registered vehicles that are not registered under separate statutes as being in inter-jurisdiction commerce.  On General File.

LB349: Introduced by Senator Prokop: This bill would add “electric energy storage resources” to the current definition of “privately developed renewable energy generation facilities” and would subject those storage resources to review by the Power Review Board and to the same pre-construction requirements as other proposed renewable energy facilities with that same or greater capacity. Senator Prokop has offered an amendment that would add electrical energy storage resources to the list of types of property that Public Power Districts could acquire by eminent domain, but would not allow such use for the acquisition of any such storage resource capable of receiving electricity from the electrical grid, or from a generation source with which it is associated, and storing it for later injection of electric energy into the electrical grid. Remains in the Natural Resources Committee.

LB471: Introduced by Senator McKeon: The purpose of this bill would be to prevent the state and local governments from restricting the “use of, purchase of, or sale of any motor vehicle based on the energy source used to power any component of the motor vehicle.”  It would also prevent NDEE (soon to be NDWEE) from seeking a waiver from the Clean Air Act to enact more stringent vehicle emission standards than those required by the federal EPA. Remains in the Natural Resources Committee.  

LB503: Introduced by Senator Bosn: This bill would authorize counties to become “American energy friendly counties in exchange for additional tax revenues from owners of privately developed renewable energy generation facilities.”  A county could pursue such a designation by applying to the Department of Revenue or by submitting the issue to voters in that county.  If approved to be an American energy friendly county, that county would be limited in the extent to which it could impose requirements on the installation, operation or decommissioning of solar and wind turbine sources of energy. The bill would also create a grant program to help counties become American energy friendly counties. Remains in Revenue Committee.

LR22CA: Introduced by Senator Dungan: This proposed constitutional amendment would, if approved by the Legislature and adopted at the November 2026 general election, add to the state constitution the following new section:  All people shall have a right to a clean and healthy environment, including pure water, clean air, healthy soils, balanced ecosystems, a safe climate, and diverse and abundant native flora and fauna and to the preservation of the natural, cultural, scenic, recreational, and healthful qualities of the environment.  The state, and each subdivision thereof, shall serve as trustee of the natural resources of Nebraska and shall conserve, protect, and maintain such resources for the benefit of all the people, including present and future generations.  The rights and obligations in this section shall be self-executing. Remains in the Natural Resources Committee.

On March 1, 2024 the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy submitted a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) for the State of Nebraska to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. NDEE developed the plan using a $3 million grant from funds provided by the federal Inflation Reduction Act. The plan was completed after a number of outreach meetings, one of which was in Lincoln. As noted by NDEE director Jim Macy, the plan “focuses on voluntary, incentive-based programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all economic sectors while promoting environmental stewardship and economic growth throughout the state, including low-income and disadvantaged communities.” Many of the incentives proposed by the PCAP are intended to reduce GHGs resulting from agricultural activities which are calculated to produce 42% of the GHGs attributable to Nebraska, but incentives are also planned for non-agricultural purposes. The plan as submitted is reviewable at https://dee.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Nebraska%20Priority%20Climate%20Action%20Plan.pdf.

In July 2024, the EPA awarded the department with a grant of $307 million to be used to implement the plan submitted in March. According to the July 23 Lincoln Journal Star, the funds will be used to “boost ‘climate-smart’ agriculture and reduce agricultural waste from livestock. The grant also will fund projects to improve energy efficiency in commercial and industrial facilities and low-income households, as well as deploy solar panels and electrify irrigation wells.”

NDEE is currently working on the second phase of the plan, which will be labeled a Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) to develop short-term and long-term greenhouse gas reduction measures across all sectors of the economy.  That plan is due to be completed by December of this year.  It will also analyze workforce impacts arising from the proposed actions and associated training needs.

1. 25 Steps to Lower CO2 Emissions – The organization called Cool Congregations, the same organization that recognized Saint Paul both nationally and at the state level for our God’s Tree-mendous Tree Project, has produced a very informative 2-page list of 25 steps costing less than $25 that we can take to lower our CO2 emissions. 
2. Tax Credits – Another very informative product is produced by the Citizen’s Climate Lobby.  It lists in brief the several tax credits and discounts available specifically to homeowners and renters as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act.
3. Effects of Climate Change on Human Health—The Lincoln Journal Star and the Omaha World Herald had identical articles on Sunday, February 19, 2023 about the adverse, but too often overlooked, effects of climate change on human health.  The following link is to the Journal Star article. https://journalstar.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/health-matters/health-matters-climate-change-already-impacting-nebraskans-health/article_2b99e666-ab83-5d77-b4c2-d38e9fc593ac.html
4. Decoding the Weather Machine – A documentary outlining what is happening scientifically to our planet because of the addition of greenhouse gases to our atmosphere and what options exist for reducing the increases in global warming.
5. SojoAction Christians and Climate Q&A – This resource aims to demystify the topic of climate change and clarify the call to take action for climate justice. Designed for Christians of all backgrounds, it addresses the most common questions and concerns we hear about the climate crisis and provides clear steps for action.
6. “Earthrise” by Amanda Gorman – A poem recited by National Youth Poet Laureate.
7. Climate Change Books
   The following are recommended as sources of information that will further explain climate change and its impacts:
   1. David Attenborough’s book entitled “A Life on our Planet” was the subject of a class led by David Lux in 2023.  In that book the author testifies to how rapidly and dramatically he has seen life on our planet change in the more than 90 years of his lifetime.  He also offers ideas for how we could reverse those changes.
   2. The book serving as the basis for a class led this year by David Lux is entitled “Not Too Late” by Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua.  It is subtitled “Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility.”  That subtitle sums up the message of the book which contains essays by a number of authors about how we need to have hope that climate change can be reduced and how we need to turn that hope into action.
   3. Bill Gates book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” not only describes the nature and extent of the climate challenge ahead of us, but also the technological obstacles that must be overcome to meet those challenges.
   4. “The Future We Choose” by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac describes what we can expect in the future (2050) if we alternatively do or do not do anything to stop emitting greenhouse gases.  
   5. A short 112 page book that includes speeches by Greta Thunberg, the remarkable Swedish teenager who has gained worldwide acclaim for her advocacy for climate change action is titled “No One is Too Small to Make a Difference.”
   6. A slightly different twist on the environmental challenges ahead can be found in Doug Tallamy’s book “Nature’s Best Hope, A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Backyard.”  In that book the author explains how important insects and plants, especially the native plants that support the insects, are essential to the continued existence of our ecosystems.
   7. Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, an internationally recognized climate scientist, is the author of a book entitled “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World.”  In that book Dr. Hayhoe explains how we can more easily start and have conversations with others about climate change.
8. The IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) produces a new report each year. The 2023 report released in March emphasizes the need for urgent climate action and describes how the most vulnerable global populations are the most at risk from current and increasing impacts of climate change. It also suggests that global resources are sufficient to prevent climate change catastrophes if the political will is present. Both a four-page press release about the new report and the report’s summary for policymakers can be found by searching for IPCC 2023 report.
9.  For information on the sources and proportions of greenhouses gases in our atmosphere, take a look at: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions
10. To calculate your own carbon footprint and see which of your activities are causing the most emissions, do the fun activity found at: https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator.
11. To learn about emissions globally, by type of gas being emitted, by economic sector and by country, see: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data.
12. Arguments are still being made about whether electric vehicles result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions when their manufacture and disposal are also considered.  For an excellent article about how much lower emissions are with an EV, read: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/07/electric-cars-have-much-lower-life-cycle-emissions-new-study-confirms/ An even more recent analysis of the greenhouse gas emission differences between fossil fueled and electric vehicles can be found at https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/driving-cleaner
13. A blog about plastic bags and the damage they cause can be seen at: https://blog.padi.com/2017/03/27/7-facts-plastic-bags-will-change-way-use/.
14. An article about divestment in fossil fuels in the New Yorker magazine can be found at: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-powerful-new-financial-argument-for-fossil-fuel-divestment.
15. Composting of food waste and other organic materials is another way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  The City of Lincoln’s website has several items of interest about composting including how to do it ourselves and what is available commercially in that regard.  It can be easily accessed by going to: https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/home and by searching for “compost.”  The UNL Extension Service also has made a lot of helpful information about composting available at: https://extension.unl.edu and by searching for “compost” there as well.