The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy sought AltEn's compliance with the state's environmental protection and solid waste management laws for years, but to no avail, reports the Lincoln Journal Star.
On Monday, after the troubled ethanol plant missed a March 1 deadline to properly dispose of tens of thousands of tons of pesticide-contaminated byproduct from its facility near Mead, the state sued the company to force it to clean up the multiple environmental violations that go back years.
In a 97-page complaint filed in Saunders County District Court, the Nebraska Attorney General's Office outlined 18 causes of action against AltEn, which used pesticide-coated seed to produce ethanol.
The state will seek an injunction from the court against AltEn to clean up the site, as well as to recoup costs accrued by the state and to enforce penalties assessed against it.
