(KLZA)-- Falls City EDGE Executive Director Lucas Froeschl updated the City Council Monday night on an effort to partner with Zulkoski / Weber  with OPPD and the Falls City Board of Public Works regarding a request for America Rescue Plan Act funds for a new electrical transmission line for Falls City.

Froeschl said First District State Senator Julie Slama is helping with the effort having drafted a bill on behalf of all cities of the second class in Nebraska for electrical transmission lines. He says this is Falls City's greatest need for economic developoment. 

Froeschl said the process will move quickly during the 60-day legislative session and talked about the need for help lobbying the legislative body.  There will be about two weeks to put together information before debate begins on the proposals for ARPA funds. Froeschl said without lobbyists providing information on the topic to the State Senators, there is little chance the proposal will be approved.

The State ARPA funds are likely to be used for water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.  OPPD feels that the electrical transmission line proposals fit within the guidelines. 

EDGE and the Board of Public Works are discussing sharing the costs for paying for lobbyists on a 50-50 basis.

In discussing the importance of an additional transmission line to provide extra electricity to Falls City, during his Quarterly EDGE report, Froeschl noted that a company looking for 320 acres at a greenfield site with access to 30-million bushels of corn to create 70 full time jobs and a $900 million capital investment was approached by EDGE.  The company was looking a rail options and the ability to build their own wind turbines for excess power but would have required 50 megawatts of power while Falls City currently has just two additional megawatts of power.