OMAHA, NE — In response to today’s Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board meeting, State Senator Heath Mello (District 5, Omaha) released the following statement:

“Today’s announcement that our projected budget deficit has grown to roughly $1.4 billion shows that our state government has been wearing rose-colored glasses because it’s an election year.  The lower-than-projected April and July tax receipts were warning signs for us to consider cutting spending this year instead of waiting until January 2011.

I’ve said since April that Nebraskans need to be made fully aware of the serious fiscal crisis that faces our state, and suggested that the Governor and Legislature hold a special session this summer to reduce spending.  Unfortunately, we’ve seen election-year concerns win out over smart, fiscal policy.

With the budget deficit now ballooning to almost $1.4 billion, I plan on requesting the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee to begin holding public hearings to gather input on reducing state agencies budgets line-item by line-item.

I only hope that Governor Heineman, like some in the Legislature, saw this fiscal crisis coming and that he has developed a plan to balance the budget without raising taxes.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2010

For More Information:
Sen. Heath Mello
(402) 471-2710
hmello@leg.ne.gov

OMAHA, NE — State Senator Heath Mello (District 5, Omaha) called on both Governor Heineman and the Nebraska Legislature to take long-overdue action on energy efficiency in response to a report rating Nebraska among the worst states in the country for energy efficiency.

Last week, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard report, which ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia on how energy efficient their state policies are. Nebraska ranked as the 47th most energy efficient state for the second year in a row, falling well behind neighboring states like Iowa (12th) and Colorado (19th).

“States across the Midwest are moving forward with energy efficient policies that create good jobs, save money on energy bills, and reduces our dependence on middle-eastern oil,” said Mello. “Nebraska has to be bold and adapt quickly or we’ll continue to watch money leak out of our homes, businesses, and state buildings every day.”

Earlier this year, Senator Mello introduced LB 978 and LB 997, two pieces of energy efficiency legislation that became state law on April 12, 2010.

LB 978 now requires the Department of Administrative Services to purchase Energy Star appliances whenever applicable unless the long-term cost savings would be greater by purchasing another product. LB 997 requires cities, when developing a new or full update to their comprehensive plan, to add an energy element that includes an assessment of energy infrastructure and energy use in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors, evaluation of the utilization of renewable energy sources, and promotion of energy conservation measures that benefit the community.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2010

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Trevor Fitzgerald
(402) 471-2710