2.7.06
Committee kills lake study
by Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal StarThe proposal to study creating a big lake between Lincoln and Omaha survived just half an hour beyond its public hearing Monday afternoon before it was killed by a majority vote of the Legislature,s Appropriations Committee.
Senators on the committee said they didn,t see any strong support for the measure, except from three individuals. There were no power companies interested in the hydroelectric power potential. There were no endorsements from the Omaha or Lincoln chambers of commerce or the corridor group that is looking at development between the two cities, they noted.
"It needs a little broader base of support," said Sen. Nancy Thompson of LaVista.
And senators acknowledged the mere suggestion of a lake flooding Ashland and 75 percent of the local school district is a roadblock to economic development right now. The fear of a future dam keeps people from buying homes, building new businesses, according to some who testified Monday.
So they did what Ashland businessman David Lutton suggested. "Kill this bill now. Do not continue to cloud the future of Ashland."
But Hal Daub, former Omaha mayor and U.S. congressman, said he hasn't given up on the study and is hopeful he can find another route through the Legislature this year.
"They didn't wait for us to talk with them?" he said when told about the committee's vote to kill the bill in an executive session just after the public hearing. Although he wouldn't provide details, Daub said he believes there may be other ways to get the idea of a study through the legislature.
As Omaha's mayor, Daub raised the idea of a smaller lake in that region in the early 1990s and this year backed Omaha Sen. Pam Brown,s bill (LB1121) to spend $3 million on a study of the lake proposal.
The lake, he said, "is a century defining, perhaps a millennium defining, project that would create jobs, bring in new residents and give the state more tax dollars."
Despite Daub's comments, further action on the issue in the Legislature this year is unlikely, said Sen. Don Pederson, committee chairman. Because the committee killed the bill, attaching that idea to another bill would require approval by 30 of the 49 senators.
"You never say never. But I think it would be highly unlikely that this would come up again this year," Pederson said.
Opponents to the lake study described Ashland as a growing community that is already being affected by the mere hint of a study. "Some will say we are overreacting," said Ashland Mayor Ronna Wiig. But the community has already been affected.
Just a day after the study idea came out in newspapers, one prospective buyer wanted to back out of his deal and a new store has put its plans on hold until a decision is made on the study, said Lutton.
No one wants to invest hard-earned dollars and time if it can be taken away by a dam, he said.
Supporters dared senators to overcome the controversy, complexity and the costs of the regional lake idea and pointed to previous big dreams killed in their infancy, including a regional airport between Omaha and Lincoln and Interstate 29, originally scheduled to be built in Nebraska.
"We would have a regional airport hub rather than Kansas City," said Brown.
The world is changing and Nebraska needs to change, said Bing Chen, a University of Nebraska at Omaha professor who supports the project.
"It is decision time for Nebraska. Can we afford to err again?" said Chen.
Senators on the committee also noted that a large lake between Lincoln and Omaha could be an economic boon, if there weren't so many obstacles.
"It would be great to have," said Sen. Pat Engel of South Sioux City about the big lake idea. "Maybe it's 100 years too late."
How they voted
Voting to kill the bill (LB1121): Sens. Pat Engel, Lavon Heidemann, Lowen Kruse, Don Pederson, Marian Price and Nancy Thompson.
Present but not voting: Sens. Chris Beutler, Jim Cudaback and John Synowiecki.