LINCOLN- Supporters of the Nebraska Environmental Trust called on state lawmakers Tuesday to reject a proposed transfer of $14 million out of the Trust, a move they are calling unconstitutional. Sandy Scofield, a former state senator and head of the Friends of the Environmental Trust, alongside Lynn Roper, a former member of the Trust's Board, are considering putting forth a lawsuit to block the transfer.

The Pillen administration proposed to transfer the $14 million out of the Environmental Trust over the next two years and place the funds into a water resources fund controlled by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. The Legislature's Appropriations Committee also included the transfer in its proposed budget.

"This is a steal, in my opinion," said Roper, "With the current state funding surpluses, certainly there are other funds available." Scofield and Roper joined around a dozen other supporters of the Environmental Trust at a press conference at the Nebraska Capitol on Tuesday. There, several speakers argued that the Environmental Trust has strayed from its mission to "conserve, enhance, and restore the natural environments of Nebraska."

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