A few years ago, AltEn, an ethanol plant, opened in Mead, Nebraska. This ethanol plant touts itself as a large "recycling" location where agricultural companies across the country can rid themselves of excess supplies of pesticide-treated seeds. They have been using this seed for ethanol production and distributing it to farm fields as a "soil conditioner." However, much of this seed has been accumulating on the grounds of the ethanol plant.

Shortly after the plant's opening, residents of Mead noticed a strange odor in the air. They also started to have strange medical issues (bloody noses, headaches, trouble breathing). A nearby agricultural research station ran by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln found that hundreds of thousands of bees were dying.

There is significant concern that AltEn's waste is causing these health problems, contaminating the land and harming wildlife. The ethanol plant also sits over an aquifer that supplies drinking water to rural wells, small communities, and both Lincoln and Omaha. There are dangerous toxins called neonics, often found in pesticides, that were recorded in record concentrations on AltEn's property. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers neonics in food and water safe of up to 70 parts per billion (ppb). Nebraska environmental officials recorded levels of these toxins at 427,000 ppb on AltEn's property.

Mead residents have been bringing these issues forward to the state for over 2 years. Over a dozen citations have been given to AltEn for non-compliance, and the issues being cited have yet to be fixed. And, no fines have been levied against the ethanol plant. The state finally gave AltEn a deadline of March 1, 2021 to remove this treated seed from their property. However, as of today no physical progress seems to have been made. 

Together we can hold AltEn and the state accountable. Sign the petition to protect Mead residents and the environment.