Mead, NE and AltEn chemical plant

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Two AltEn wells test positive for chemical contamination



Two Alten wells test positive for chemical contamination

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AltEn seeks renewal of wastewater treatment permit



ALTEN seeks renewal of wastewater treatment permit

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Concrete plant gains OK to burn biomass for fuel,
vows not to use AltEn’s ‘wet cake’

LINCOLN — A massive concrete plant in Louisville, Nebraska, has won state approval to burn “biomass,” including some treated seeds, in its kilns as a cleaner alternative to natural gas and other fossil fuels. But a spokesman for Ash Grove Cement made it clear Wednesday that the leftover, pesticide-coated seed corn — known as “wet cake” — that was used at the now-closed AltEn ethanol plant near Mead won’t be among the biomass to be burned. “Ash Grove can confirm that it has not used seed from the closed ethanol plant in Mead, Nebraska, as part of the fuel mix at its Louisville plant and has no plans to do so in the future,” said spokesman Brian Dryfhout for the company, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. In March, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy approved an amendment to Ash Grove’s air quality permit to permit the use of biomass in kilns used to produce cement, according to state records.

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UNMC scientists: Mead residents have reason to be concerned about AltEn waste

MEAD — Deb Virgl said the pile of “wet cake” waste from the local ethanol plant, deposited near her rural home, reeked so horribly that she stopped walking the dog. “You almost threw up when you went outside,” said Virgl, who lives northeast of Mead and its now infamous AltEn Ethanol plant. The plant became infamous for using pesticide-coated seed corn to produce ethanol unlike other ethanol plants, which use field corn that’s also used to feed cattle.

Sixteen months ago, the plant was shut down after repeatedly ignoring orders by state environmental regulators to clean up the massive piles of odorous, spent contaminated grain, left over from the process of making ethanol and stockpiled at the plant. Virgl was among about 50 local residents who came to the Mead Fire Hall Thursday night to hear what a team of scientists had found out, so far, about the extent of contamination to the local air, surface water and soil from the plant.

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Monitoring group calls for additional studies and funding to discover possible adverse impacts of AltEn plant

A volunteer watchdog group said Tuesday that recent, preliminary findings about the extent of contamination caused by the now-closed AltEn ethanol plant points up the need for continued studies and funding of research efforts. “These initial findings are a bombshell that certainly underscore the need for further scientific examination of the breadth and scope of this catastrophe,” said Al Davis, spokesman for the Perivallon Group, an informal monitoring committee.

Town hall last week

On Thursday, a team of scientists from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Creighton University released some initial research findings during a town hall in Mead, which sits just north of the AltEn plant.

While several tests await analysis, the findings included:

-Pesticide residues were discovered in one private home near AltEn.
-Thirteen of 21 chemicals associated with AltEn’s use of pesticide-coated seed corn were found in a flood-control reservoir nearly five miles from the plant.
-Bee colonies maintained nearby by UNL were still showing adverse behaviors.

Davis, a former state senator, said the findings call for additional testing at schools, churches and more private residences. He urged Mead-area residents to allow testing of their homes and property to aid the research and to participate in a health-monitoring program to track any adverse health impacts.

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Hemp could help clean up AltEn mess according to UNL researcher

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Nebraska leaders skeptical about cleanup of solid waste from AltEn in Mead



MEAD, Neb. (WOWT) - A year after shutting down, the ALtEn ethanol plant in Mead, Neb. finalized a pilot study work plan to determine the best way to dispose of 99,000 tons of hazardous corn waste that contaminated the environment. Contractors started cleaning up solids Thursday, but despite progress being made, state leaders aren’t satisfied with the plan. About 8,000 tons of trash, unused materials and piles of soil are moving from the former ethanol plant south of Mead to the Pheasant Point Landfill near Bennington. It’s a process the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy expects to take four to six weeks.

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'There is nothing odd about this' Wetcake from alt en site in mead coming to douglas county landfill




Wetcake from alt en site in mead coming to douglas county landfill

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Cleanup at defunct Mead AltEn plant turns a corner



For the last two years, a shadow has loomed over the village of Mead. It first came as a rancid smell.