Nebraska lawmakers have given first-round approval to changes designed to lure wind-energy companies that would export the energy from the state. The bill (LB1048) would allow the Nebraska Power Review Board to approve wind-energy operations designed to export energy. The bill would also ease concerns among private wind-energy companies about public power's eminent-domain authority. Bill introducer Sen. Chris Langemeier of Schuyler says Nebraskans would be protected from rate increases because private companies would have to reimburse public power for any costs of building wind-energy transmission lines. Nebraska is ranked fourth among states in wind-energy potential but 22nd in actual wind-energy production.
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Nebraska lawmakers will debate a plan that could make it harder for women to get later-term abortions. An amendment to a bill (LB1103) advanced to the full Legislature would allow women to get abortions after about 20 weeks only if not having them would put them at serious risk of substantial or irreversible physical harm. Currently, a woman can get later-term abortion if it is determined that it would help preserve her health, without any mention of how serious the health issues must be. The amendment could raise legal challenges, as could the bill itself. The bill would ban later-term abortions based assertions that fetuses feel pain. The current criteria is the viability of fetuses - not whether they experience pain.
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