LINCOLN, Neb.—Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has signed a bill meant to help limit the number of well permits issued in the lower Platte River basin.
The bill (LB483) passed Friday on a 45-0 vote. Heineman signed it Monday. The bill has an emergency clause, which means it goes into effect immediately.
State officials recently reversed a decision that would have limited water use in the lower Platte basin.
Brian Dunnigan, director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, says the state had overestimated how much water was pumped from the river on average.
But he says steps need to be taken to keep the basin from becoming overappropriated in the future. Dunnigan and members of local natural resources districts have expressed support for the law.
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