LB595 would create Research Excellence Cash Fund to support Nebraska Mesonet; university and resource districts urge funding

Sen. Jason Prokop introduced LB595 to create a Research Excellence Cash Fund administered by the University of Nebraska, saying the fund would support research and data collection critical to Nebraska’s economy and public safety, and singled out the Nebraska Mesonet as a priority use.

University officials and natural‑resource witnesses described the Mesonet as a statewide network of meteorological stations that provide live weather and soil data to farmers, water managers, emergency responders and researchers. “The Nebraska Mesonet is a function of the Nebraska State Climate Office,” said Larkin Powell, director of the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and the network currently includes 74 operational stations with additional sites planned or under construction through federal grants.

Why it matters: testimony emphasized…