Alvo is once again getting buried in a mountain of used tires after finally coming under compliance with the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy last year. However, it seems that the apple isn’t falling far from the tree in the Langer family line as current owner, Larry Langer’s son, Pete Langer of Scottsbluff, has once again been found to be in noncompliance, this time both in Alvo and Scottsbluff.

              According to public records found on the NDEE’s website, inspectors were first alerted to the Alvo facility’s growing tire pile in May of this year by a concerned citizen though an inspection of the facility found that they were within compliance. Less than a month later inspectors toured the Scottsbluff facility to find multiple piles up to 25 feet high, finding similar numbers in Alvo shortly after. According to the Langers and their employees, the only tire shredder between the two facilities was out of operation for two months. As a result of these inspections, a noncompliance letter was issued to Pete Langer at the Scottsbluff facility on June 27, 2023.

NDEE Compliance Report June 21, 2023. Page 19.

              This letter states, based on visual inspection, that the two facilities exceed the financial assurance of $60,000 which is the amount that is permitted according to the Waste Tire Hauler Permit. According to Waste Compliance Supervisor Jeff Edwards, that amount equals to 45,000 tires on the ground between both facilities. As of the last tire report, which is required as a condition of the noncompliance issued, Alvo is currently sitting at over 65,000 and Scottsbluff is at over 77,000 tires on the ground. Another condition of the noncompliance letter is requiring that a plan of action to move the single tire shredder between the two facilities, and a request that Pete Langer “voluntarily comply” with the corrective measures because penalties could be up to $10,000 per day per violation.

              On August 24^th and 25^th, both facilities were again inspected by the NDEE, and again a noncompliance letter was issued. This letter was near identical to the one issued in June but also includes a reminder that they should be following State Fire Marshal’s requirements for outside storage of tires (State Fire Marshal – NFPA 1, 2012ed, Chapter 33). This noncompliance letter was received and signed for by Pete Langer on September 5, 2023 but he has not formally responded. His receptionist continues to provide weekly tire counts for both facilities.

              As of this publication, there has never been any record of testing for chemicals at the Alvo site. The former facility, Fitzer’s Recycling, had received complaints about environmental concerns as far back as 2006. With tire accumulation appearing in approximately 2012, these piles of tires have been allowed to sit on the ground for over a decade. Waste Compliance Supervisor, Jeff Edwards’s response was that residents were welcome to run their own tests. Local ninjas obtained soil and water run-off samples just after a crisp August rain in 2021 and shared them with us here. Chemical byproducts from tires, such as 6ppd-quinone, have been linked to reproductive and metabolic disorders in aquatic life and mammals, and residents have a right to be concerned about these chemicals ending up in our water supply. Those findings are shared here for any readers who are interested in conducting their own research.

Sample results from August, 2021. Sample #1 is soil, Sample #2 is water run-off.

              While “environmentalist” Pete Langer has taken the reins on Alvo and Scottsbluff, Larry Langer continues his legacy with a shooting range/missile silo located in Elmwood. It’s chock full of an estimated 70,000 tires, 125 feet of groundwater, and contains multiple nearby wells that are being monitored for contaminants by the Army Corps of Engineers. More information on the missile silo’s former listing is here and the DEQ facility number for that facility is 61859. You may also recall that Board Member Larry Langer is the only known Nebraska official on the Oath Keeper’s membership list.

So what can be done? There are now two tire piles that are out of compliance. The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy seems to only be interested in encouraging compliance instead of enforcing anything, as residents learned last time when it took well over a year to get them within compliance. It sure appears that Nebraska’s Tire Kings know it. What about locally, you might wonder? Alvo had a Planning and Zoning Committee that put together a list of 24 different Village and state statutes that were violated by the unkept Alvo facility. These violations include never having a conditional use permit for the recycling facility or a special use permit for an apartment located on this commercial property. Also included in their report is the potential for the facility to endanger the village’s water supply. Unfortunately, after providing the Board of Trustees with these violations, the decision was made by then-Chair Robin LaPage to wait for the NDEE to enforce compliance.

              It wasn’t long after that when the Board of Trustees dismantled the Planning and Zoning Committee after an unrelated issue where the clerk imposed a procedure that had no record of ever being actual procedure and a lawsuit was threatened. As a result, the Board of Trustees is now also the Planning and Zoning Committee and in charge of, well… continuing to do nothing.

              Residents who reached out to the current Chairman of the Alvo Board of Trustees, Devon Sullivan, were told that the tire facility is within compliance with an allowance of 160,000 tires on the ground, but that he was no tire expert. It would certainly seem that the Chair decided to consult the former owner rather than making a phone call for correct information and while that is purely speculation, his refusal to acknowledge this continuous problem only compounds his lack of integrity. While our little village sorely needs a leader willing to make the uncomfortable decision to stand up for our families, this is still what voters voted for.

              If this sounds utterly ridiculous to you and you stand with Alvo and Nebraska residents who are sick of profit overruling our children’s health and the environment they will inherit, you’re welcome to call Jeff Edwards with the NDEE at (402)471-8309. Use caution identifying yourself, however, as the initial Alvo reporter was sued by Pete Langer for trespassing on a public street. This suit was later dropped. More information can be found on the NDEE’s public records website here regarding DEQ facility number 60456 and meeting minutes and agendas for the Alvo Board of Trustees can be found here.