ADVOCATES SAY PROPOSAL WOULD PROTECT ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST FROM ‘DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS’

LINCOLN —Conservation groups and wildlife advocates urged state senators to back a proposal aimed at safeguarding the Nebraska Environmental Trust from repeated transfers of its funds to help balance the state budget. Gov. Jim Pillen has proposed sweeping more than $40 million from the Trust over the next two years, which critics say could jeopardize competitive grants that have funded conservation, habitat and recycling projects for decades. Opponents of the transfers warned that ongoing diversions — totaling about $29 million in recent years — amount to “death by a thousand cuts” and dilute the Trust’s mission to support environmental work. 

In response, State Sen. Tom Brandt introduced Legislative Resolution 298, a proposed constitutional amendment that would ensure Trust funds are used only for competitive grants as originally intended by voters. Supporters say enshrining that purpose in the Nebraska Constitution would block future transfers like those sought by the governor and preserve funding for conservation efforts. No one spoke against the measure at a committee hearing, and online comments heavily favored advancing it, suggesting strong public backing for protecting the Trust’s funding structure.

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