Nebraska lawmaker among those who optioned land for potential data center project

Tenaska, a private energy developer, has been actively acquiring land options across southeast Nebraska, including in Gage, Lancaster, Otoe, and Cass counties, for a prospective data center and power plant. Among the landowners is State Senator Myron Dorn, who signed an agreement earlier this year granting Tenaska the exclusive right to purchase approximately 80 acres of his land in Gage County. The timing of Dorn's land deal coincides with the Nebraska Legislature's ongoing debate on LB1261, a bill strongly supported by Tenaska. This legislation, proposed by the Governor’s Office, would permit private entities to construct and own power plants specifically to serve large industrial clients, such as data centers, and to sell surplus power back to the public grid. The bill is considered vital for projects like the one Tenaska is pursuing, which has been linked to Google's proposed massive data center in Nebraska, potentially powered by a privately-built natural gas plant capable of generating substantial electricity. Senator Dorn initially did not publicly disclose the potential land deal, stating he hadn't considered it a conflict of interest or realized how quickly LB1261 advanced. However, after being contacted by the Flatwater Free Press, he filed a disclosure form acknowledging the potential conflict. Despite this, Dorn affirmed his intention not to abstain from voting on LB1261, arguing that his vote is only one of 49 and the bill's benefits extend statewide, not exclusively to his property. Gage County board member Emily Haxby and Otoe County resident Rick Wheatley independently corroborated that Tenaska representatives discussed plans for natural gas power plants to serve industrial parks or "AI centers" in their respective areas. Scott Danigole, executive director of the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, indicated that Dorn should file a conflict of interest form with both the NADC and the speaker if the bill's passage would enhance the likelihood of his land sale.