LINCOLN — A last-minute amendment adopted Thursday will devote $1 million toward continuing research into the health, environmental and ecological impacts of contamination caused by the AltEn ethanol plant.

A team of scientists, doctors, and an engineer, volunteering their time and using donated funds for tests, has been studying the impacts of the pesticide-laced seed corn, used by the Mead plant to produce ethanol and the 250,000 cubic yards of reeking byproduct left behind.

State Sen. Carol Blood said funding for the tests will run dry in June. She encouraged fellow lawmakers to help continue financing the work to determine whether there are long-term health and environmental impacts.

“Continuing this research is critical for the people who reside there,” Blood said. “People have a right to be safe and be well.”

The amendment was deemed not germane by the presiding officer but was able to overcome this ruling.

The underlying bill, sponsored by Gering Sen. John Stinner, increases funding for internships in rural areas for mental health practitioners in hopes of increasing behavioral health care outside of urban areas.

Internships would be through the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the research proposed by Blood would be carried out by the University of Nebraska, which prompted her attachment of the amendment.

In addition, Blood argued the amendment was germane because the spillover could affect behavioral and mental health in the area.

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