Nebraska lawmaker asking for $9 million water loan for Republican River basin to be forgiven

Nebraska lawmaker wants $9 million loan forgiven

LINCOLN, Neb. — A Nebraska lawmaker has asked the state to forgive a $9 million loan that helped pay farmers in the Republican River basin for sending some of their irrigation water to Kansas in 2007.

State Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial introduced the bill on Wednesday.

The water was sent to Kansas to help Nebraska comply with a compact that guides use of the river.

Money from a property tax and per-acre tax on irrigated land approved by the Legislature was supposed to be used to repay the state.

But the property tax was ruled unconstitutional and the so-called occupation tax on irrigated land has been stymied by a similar lawsuit.