ImagiNE Act expansion for waste disposal project considered

The Revenue Committee heard testimony March 16 on a bill that would allow certain waste treatment and disposal businesses to qualify for tax incentives under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act.

Bayard Sen. Steve Erdman, sponsor of LB100, said the change would allow Clean Harbors, a national hazardous waste disposal and environmental services company with a facility south of Kimball, to qualify for benefits under the act.

Paul Whiting, senior vice president of facilities engineering for Clean Harbors, testified in support of the bill. He said a $180 million incinerator project will create approximately 200 new jobs at the Kimball location, nearly doubling its workforce there.

With a shortage of affordable housing in the Panhandle, Whiting said, Clean Harbors would use benefits it receives under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act to build housing for those employees.

“It’s something that Clean Harbors has never done before,” Whiting said. “But we realize that if we don’t do something, we’re not going to get the employees.”

Christy Warner, a Kimball City Council member, also testified in support, saying LB100 would ensure that Clean Harbors can move forward with its housing plan.

“This is a perfect example of what Nebraska hopes to get from the [ImagiNE Nebraska Act]: stable economic growth for responsible, reliable businesses who stay in Nebraska for decades, providing careers for the next generation,” she said.

The state Department of Revenue estimates that the bill would reduce state general fund revenue by a total of $2.5 million from fiscal year 2025-26 to FY2031-32.

No one testified in opposition to LB100 and the committee took no immediate action on it.