Governor Jim Pillen Appoints 17-Member Task Force to Oversee Data Center Infrastructure Impacts

LINCOLN, NE — Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen announced the appointment of 17 civic, agricultural, and energy utility leaders to the newly established Governor’s Task Force on Data Center Infrastructure, executing the operational mandates of Executive Order 26-17.

Balancing High-Tech Growth with Public Power Reliability

The task force brings together executives from the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), and the Nebraska Farm Bureau to formulate binding legislative recommendations regarding electrical transmission capacity, high-voltage substation siting, and Ogallala Aquifer industrial water extraction limits. Governor Pillen noted that Nebraska's unique public power model requires strict statewide planning to prevent residential rate spikes.

Governor Pillen declared that Nebraska is open for business and technological innovation, but must protect agriculture and public power ratepayers from unmanaged industrial demand.

Agricultural and Public Power Leadership Perspectives

Irrigation district leaders emphasized that agricultural water allocations must take statutory precedence over industrial server cooling systems during drought cycles.

Public power utility directors welcomed the centralized task force for coordinating regional transmission line expansions across Sarpy and Lancaster counties.

Reporting Deadlines

The Task Force on Data Center Infrastructure will deliver its comprehensive legislative report to the Nebraska Unicameral by December 15, 2026.