Jan 13, 2020

Nebraska energy plant ordered to pay unpaid landfill bills

Posted Jan 13, 2020 10:47 AM

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) - A northeastern Nebraska renewable energy plant has been ordered to pay $32,531 to a landfill for failing to pay for waste services.

A Butler County District Judge ruled against Big Ox Energy because the plant failed to respond to a lawsuit filed by a landfill in David City, Neb. The landfill said the company failed to pay several bills.

The Sioux City Journal reports that Tuesday's ruing against Big Ox is at least the third judgment entered against the idle plant for failing to pay bills.

In October, a federal judge awarded $506,015 to a supplier that had sued Big Ox for not paying for chemicals and equipment parts. In August, a Dakota County judge ordered Big Ox to pay a trucking firm nearly $31,000.

The Big Ox plant in South Sioux City closed in April after the city of Sioux City declined to renew the company's wastewater treatment permit. The city says Big Ox owes more than $3 million in fees, fines and other charges although the company has disputed that amount.

The plant has been under scrutiny since neighbors complained about the plant's odor after it opened in 2016. Fifteen homeowners have filed lawsuits against the company and South Sioux City.