BEATRICE – Nebraska lawmakers have advanced a bill and amendment that would offer state matching support for developing industrial rail access business parks.

LB 40 was introduced by Senator Mike Groene of North Platte, over the potential of such a plan near Hershey in Lincoln County. The bill and amendment would create the Nebraska Rural Projects Act. Groene said it is an infrastructure improvement bill in an area that includes perhaps the largest rail yard in the world.

A qualified rail access business park would have to be in a county of under 100,000 population. Applications through non-profit economic development entities would be filed on or before June 23rd, 2023. The project would have to occur within ten years. One of those in support of Groene’s measure was Senator Mike Flood, who said the Bailey Yard is the “Chicago O’Hare of Railroad classification yards”.

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