LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has officially appointed a new “Water Quality and Quantity Task Force” as he seeks to merge two state agencies that oversee water resources.

Pillen’s office announced the initial appointment of seven members to the task force and a first meeting of the group earlier in the day, according to a news release Wednesday evening. The first meeting was not open to the public or announced ahead of time. The governor’s office is still working out whether some future meetings will be public.

In the coming weeks, Pillen has promised to appoint more members and is eyeing a group of about 20 to 25 people who will focus on water quality and quantity but also education. Pillen promised to create the group when he testified on Legislative Bill 317 last month, which was introduced at his request. That bill seeks to fold the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources into the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.

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