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Seed companies sue Nebraska-ethanol plant for botched cleanup
A group of seed companies is suing a Nebraska-based ethanol plant for creating an environmental crisis they say have cost millions of dollars to clean up.
In a civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Nebraska, the companies – Corteva, AgReliant, Beck’s Hybrids and Winfield Solutions – say the AltEn plant near Mead sold off its assets, abandoned the site and botched the clean up after the plant improperly used treated seed corn.
The lawsuit says AltEn breached contracts signed with the seed companies and accuses the plant’s owner of fraud. It also says the plant violated state and federal law governing how pesticide-treated seed should be handled.
Syngenta has filed a separate suit and Bayer says the company is considering legal action.
The seed companies are members of the AltEn Facility Response Group that are cleaning up hazardous material created from the plant.
The companies have asked the court to award compensation for the costs incurred during the ongoing clean up.
