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Last Update: 10/27/2026 at 5:34 AM EST
Nebraska Data Center Policy
Coverage from Flatwater Free Press, Omaha Daily Record, and others
Nebraska’s data-center policy concerns how to attract investment while accounting for the demands new facilities can place on electricity, water, land, and public resources.
State measures include changes to tax-incentive eligibility and review, including Executive Order 26-17, while Legislative Bill 1261 addresses private power generation for large users. Local governments also weigh zoning, permitting, and community effects as projects are proposed. Together, these decisions shape who can build, what safeguards apply, and how development costs and resource demands are managed.
Looking Back
106 Day Timeline
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All Articles25 articles
Important
Google reported about 732 million gallons of Nebraska data-center water use in 2025, as Nebraska enacted a 2026 annual reporting requirement to aid planning amid constrained regional supplies.
7/8/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google and Meta water-use reporting in Nebraska is driving drought- and allocation-aware planning, with new statewide data-collection starting in 2026.
7/14/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google self-reported 2025 Nebraska data center water use of about 732 million gallons, amid evolving state disclosure rules and local concerns across Omaha, Sarpy County, Papillion, Lincoln, and Adams.
7/9/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Nehawka village leaders in Nebraska voted to prohibit data centers within village zoning jurisdiction after residents raised concerns about Tenaska's proposed 1,300-acre Cass County project.
8/27/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Sierra Club Nebraska raised concerns at Omaha Public Works' 2026 World O Water event about Google data centers' water use and oversight in Nebraska.
9/13/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Kearney City Council approved zoning regulations and a conditional-use permit Tuesday in Kearney, Nebraska, for Tech One Crossing, a data-center campus projected to consume 368 megawatts.
9/9/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Kearney City Council is scheduled to consider Worldwide Mission Critical's 368-megawatt Tech One Crossing data center in September in Kearney, Nebraska.
9/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Worldwide Mission Critical is seeking approval for a 368-megawatt data center campus in Kearney, Nebraska, with City Council consideration scheduled for September 8.
9/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Interesting
Kearney's Planning Commission in Nebraska advanced proposed data center regulations requiring residential setbacks and water studies for future projects, while exempting an existing crypto-mining facility.
8/22/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Nebraska's governor signed LB1261 and an executive order during the current legislative session to require data-center self-generation, suspend tax incentives, and study resource impacts statewide.
8/22/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
NTU criticized Nebraska Governor Pillen's ImagiNE Act executive order denying data center tax treatment, saying the action could reduce investment starting immediately.
7/21/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Nebraska legislative proposals LB1111 and LB1064 on electricity cost allocation and LB1026 and LB1172 on generation planning could shape data center expansion and electricity demand management by 2035.
7/17/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Lincoln County, Nebraska election officials confirmed a recall filing started in early stages, targeting three commissioners over data center development after a moratorium call.
7/14/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen issued Executive Order No. 26-17 on July 20, 2026, tightening data-center incentive reviews and creating a water and environmental task force in Nebraska.
8/13/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed a July 21 executive order blocking tax incentives for new data centers statewide while agencies assess infrastructure and resource impacts.
7/29/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed Executive Order 26-17 in Lincoln ending ImagiNE Nebraska Act tax incentives for data centers while requiring agency review of land, water, and electricity impacts.
7/21/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed an executive order in Nebraska on Monday to stop ImagiNE Act tax credits for new data centers and to create a water and electricity protection task force.
7/20/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen issued an executive order in 2026 blocking large-scale data centers from state business tax incentives and forming a task force.
7/20/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed an executive order on Monday suspending Imagine Nebraska Act approvals for new large-scale data centers and creating a natural-resources task force.
7/20/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen plans an executive order Monday to suspend tax incentives and create a task force for natural-resource safeguards for large-scale data centers.
7/17/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Nebraska state senators held a North Omaha town hall to discuss LB1010 reporting and LB1261 private power-plant rules for data centers.
6/12/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Additional
Coffee Grounds Data LLC is evaluating a potential data center site under a four-year option on more than 560 acres near Lincoln, Nebraska, as part of early-stage diligence.
9/25/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announced 17 task force members to evaluate data center impacts on water, power grids, and infrastructure statewide, with an initial meeting expected next month.
8/19/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appointed 17 members to a state Data Center Task Force in Nebraska to assess facility impacts on water, electricity, infrastructure, and county planning before its expected September meeting.
8/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appointed 17 members to a new Data Center Task Force in Lincoln to assess statewide effects on water, power grids, and infrastructure.
8/19/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General