LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man wants to ban the release of balloons at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln after the University of Nebraska football team scores its first points in a game.
A federal lawsuit filed this week by Randall Krause said the mass release results in the open dumping of solid waste. That violates the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the lawsuit said.
Krause has twice sued the city of Omaha in the past to make it clean up deicing solution it puts on streets, calling it dangerous to the environment. Both suits were dismissed.
In the latest complaint, which Krause wrote himself, he listed 60 endangered species that he claims are put in danger as a result of the balloon release.
"The mass release of Husker balloons puts virtually all species of birds, turtles, marine mammals and small animals...in harm's way," the suit said.
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He also said small children are at risk of choking or suffocating if they try to eat the popped balloons.
The suit doesn't offer any evidence that a child has ever choked on a deflated red balloon from Memorial Stadium. There are several pictures of dead and injured birds and turtles from balloons, but the suit doesn't specifically link the balloons in the photos to the tradition.
A university spokesman declined to comment on the litigation. A corporate sponsor covers the balloon costs, and the balloons are handed out during games.
Krause also asked for an injunction that would keep the university from promoting the balloon release.
The tradition has been a part of Cornhuskers' football games since the late 1950. It was halted temporarily during a nationwide helium shortage in 2012.
