Nebraska Governor OKs Keystone XL Pipeline Route Through State

January 25, 2013Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticle2 Comments

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has approved a new route for the Keystone XL oil pipeline that avoids the state’s environmentally sensitive Sandhills region.

Heineman sent a letter to President Barack Obama confirming that he would allow the controversial project to proceed in his state.

The pipeline has faced strong resistance in Nebraska from a coalition of landowners and environmental groups who say it would contaminate the Ogallala aquifer, a massive groundwater supply.

Canadian pipeline developer TransCanada and some workers’ unions say the project is safe and will create thousands of jobs.

The original route would have run the pipeline through a region of erodible, grass-covered sand dunes. The new route skirts that area.

 

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetCategories: Midwest NewsTopics: Canadian pipeline developer TransCanada, Keystone XL oil pipeline, Nebraska Gov. Dave HeinemanHave a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk

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Man Sues Nebraska Claiming Gender Discrimination

September 21, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

A federal court in Nebraska will take up a lawsuit that accuses the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services of allowing a supervisor to demean and discriminate against men in her department.

The lawsuit, filed last year by Mike Hoover against the state and two Administrative Services officials, was moved to Nebraska’s federal court.

Hoover, now of Dallas, says in the lawsuit that while he was employed in the department from March 2007 to February 2010, his supervisor, Amy Archuleta, discriminated against him and other male employees. The discrimination included obscene references made by Archuleta to men in her department and derogatory remarks about how

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Nebraska Construction Company Owner Sentenced for Wire, Insurance Fraud

June 26, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

A Fremont, Neb., man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for a wire fraud conviction that cost banks and insurance companies in Nebraska and Iowa millions of dollars.

Thomas Herink was sentenced in Omaha’s U.S. District Court. In addition to prison, Herink was given three years of supervised probation following his release and ordered to repay $5,111,026.91 to his victims.

Herink was president and chief executive officer of Golf Services Group Inc., a construction company, according to U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg, who says Herink falsified financial statements to defraud lenders and insurers.

Herink carried out the scheme in order to participate in large construction contracts throughout the country, according to Gilg. Prosecutors say when Herink defaulted on some of the projects, the banks and insurance companies lost more than $8 million.

United Fire and Casualty Co. (UFCC), based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Employers Mutual Casualty Co. (EMCC), based in Des Moines, Iowa, were insurance companies that provided various insurance products, including surety bonds, to construction contractors, the U.S. attorney’s office said. These bonds, which included bid, performance, and payment bonds, guaranteed that the contractor would fulfill his commitments according to the specifications outlined in the construction contracts. Both UFCC and EMCC provided bid, performance, and payment bonds to Herink and his business entities, according to Gilg’s announcement.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Associated Press

 

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Blue Cross Sues Over Running Nebraska Health Plan

April 6, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska has filed a lawsuit to block the state’s planned switch to a new health insurance company, alleging improper lobbying on United Healthcare’s behalf.

The Lincoln Journal Star reported that Blue Cross says the chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party violated state rules by lobbying on behalf of United Healthcare.

Nebraska officials have said switching health insurance companies will save taxpayers and state employees a combined $8 million annually, so the state plans to change to United Healthcare on July 1.

Blue Cross officials have argued the change actually will cost an additional $10 million per year because of limits in the United Healthcare network.

Blue Cross attorney Kermit Brashear said attorney Mark Fahleson, who is the state GOP chairman, lobbied on behalf of United Healthcare while bids on the contract were pending. Brashear said that violates state regulations because of Fahleson’s political position.

Fahleson did not immediately respond to a phone message left late on April 4.

A spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield has administered Nebraska’s health insurance plan for nearly 30 years.

Nebraska self-insures, but hires an insurance company to administer its plans. The state of Nebraska and its employees spend about $184 million annually on coverage. The state pays 79 percent of premiums, and employees cover 21 percent.

The state plans cover approximately 30,000 state employees and dependents.

The health plan change does not apply to Nebraska State Troopers, or employees within the University of Nebraska or the Nebraska State College system, because those groups all have their own plans.

 

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetCategories: Midwest NewsTopics: blue cross, Health and Benefits, lawsuit, NebraskaHave a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk

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