MEAD, Neb. (KOLN) - Governor Jim Pillen will hold a news conference Tuesday to highlight progress on the ongoing cleanup at the former AltEn ethanol plant in Mead.

Pillen will be joined by Jesse Bradley, director of the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment, along with other state representatives. They’re expected to outline what’s been accomplished since the facility shut down in 2021.

Over the last several years, thousands of tons of “wet cake,” a pesticide-treated seed-corn byproduct, had piled up at the AltEn site after a major wastewater spill triggered the plant’s closure.

Cleanup efforts ramped up after a pilot project run by environmental-engineering firm NewFields began hauling material off-site at a pace of roughly 40–60 loads per day.

The project is expected

See Full Page