LINCOLN- Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a hog farmer himself, recently requested the introduction of a bill that would eliminate public hearings during county zoning board considerations of permits to allow large hog confinement operations, chicken farms, and feedlots. "The goal is simple: to smooth out the process of obtaining the proper permits and do business at the county level," said Gov. Pillen of the bill.

LB1375, the bill in question, received a wave of opposition at a Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday. "This will restrict the opportunity of the public to voice their opinions," said Mark Schoenrock, a Jefferson County board member. He and other testifiers pointed out the inscription above the main entrance to the State Capitol: "The Salvation of the State is the Watchfulness of the Citizen."

Supporters of the bill, however, argued that the bill's intent was not to eliminate a public hearing at the zoning board level, but rather to make it optional and allow written comments instead. The sponsor of the bill, Sen. John Lowe, said he would amend the bill to ensure that public hearings at the zoning board level are still allowed.

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