- State Lawsuit Challenges OPPD’s Clean Energy Plan: Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers filed a lawsuit arguing that OPPD’s plan to retire coal operations at the North Omaha Power Plant and transition fully to natural gas by 2026 will drive up costs and threaten grid reliability across the state.
- Community Pushback Over Health and Environment: Longtime North Omaha residents like Cheryl Weston say keeping the coal plant running ignores years of advocacy to address air quality and public health impacts in nearby neighborhoods—where families live, work, and play near the facility.
- Political and Economic Debate Deepens: State Senator Terrell McKinney called the lawsuit politically motivated, linking it to national efforts to revive coal use. He argues rate increases are driven by data center growth and energy demand, not the plant’s transition away from coal.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
For years, neighbors in North Omaha have urged the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) to move away from coal, citing environmental and health concerns tied to the North Omaha Power Plant. But now, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers is taking legal action — filing a lawsuit seeking to force OPPD to keep the facility operating as-is.
Hilgers argues that OPPD’s plan to fully transition the plant to natural gas by 2026 would raise costs and reduce reliability for Nebraska residents.
“There is almost no doubt that this action will increase cost and decrease reliability in Omaha,” Hilgers said.
The North Omaha Power Plant has long been a focal point for community activists who say pollution has harmed nearby neighborhoods. In 2016, OPPD partially converted the facility to natural gas, and by 2024, announced plans to fully eliminate coal use within two years.
For residents like Cheryl Weston, who has lived in the area for decades, the lawsuit feels like a setback for public health.
“They aren’t taking anything into consideration other than just say, 'hey you’re the dollars,” Weston said.
Hilgers maintains that coal remains an essential part of Nebraska’s energy mix.
“In part because we use coal as one of our baseload generating fuels — we use natural gas, also because of our public power,” he said.
But State Senator Terrell McKinney of North Omaha pushed back, calling the argument misleading.
“This is a bad argument because rates are scheduled to go up and the coal plant is still online — rates are going up because of all these data centers and developments that is going on,” McKinney said.
McKinney also believes the lawsuit’s timing is politically motivated.
“If he had an issue with it when he was in the Legislature he would’ve done something, and since he’s been the AG he would’ve done something… this didn’t come until the Trump administration started pushing this coal thing,” he added.
Despite the political and legal debate, residents say the heart of the issue remains health and safety.
“The people in North Omaha… the people driving up and down here… you’ve got a park, a baseball park where kids want to play — and when that’s working and going and there’s smoke… they still want to play,” Weston said.
OPPD declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying they are unable to provide a statement at this time.
