505The Mineral Industry of Nebraska 
 
This chapter has been prepared under a cooperative agreement between the
Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Nebraska Geological
Survey for collecting information on all minerals except fuels. 
 
 
By George M. Deutman1 and William C. Henkes2 
 
 
 The value of mineral production in Nebraska continued on a downward trend
during 1967, $70.9 million compared with the 1966 figure of $78.5 million.
Of the decrease 86 percent was in the nonmetal group and 14 percent in mineral
fuels. Mineral fuels accounted for $40 million (56 percent) of the total
value of mineral production in 1967, compared with $41.1 million (52 percent)
in 1966. 
 
 Government Programs.—Contracts awarded for highway construction in
Nebraska totaled $32.8 million, a 22-percent decline from the $42.2 million
awarded in 1966; contracts awarded for Interstate highway construction decreased
19 percent.3 Of the State's total designated mileage of 477.5 miles for the
National System of interstate and Defense Highways, 334.4 
miles were open to traffic at yearend 1967, 
34.9 miles more than were completed at 
yearend 1966.~ 
 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the following flood protection
and bank stabilization projects: Channel repairs on Little Papillion Creek
near Omaha; channel stabilization, Phase VIII, Gering Valley; Missouri River
Levee bank stabili1 Mining engineer, Bureau of Mines, Denver, Cob. 
 2 Petroleum engineer, Bureau of Mines. Denver, Cob. 
 Engineering News-Record. State Highway 
Departments' Construction Contracting Plans 
for 1968 . . . and Budgets for Maintenance: 
Highway Spending Goes for a New Record 
Despite Federal Aid Cuts. V. 180, No. 14, 
Apr. 4, 1968, pp. 86—87. 
 4Federal Highway Administration. Quarterly Report on The Federal-Aid Highway
Program, Dec. 31, 1967. Press Release FHWA—118, Feb. 14, 1968. 
 
Table 1.—Mineral production in Nebraska 1 
 
1966 
 
1967 
 
Mineral 
 
 
— 
 
 
Quantity Value (thousands) 
 
Quantity Value (thousands) 
 
Clays thousand short tons.Gemstones                                     
153 NA 
$153 
 5 
126 NA 
$142 
 5 
Natural gas (marketed) mfflion cubic feet. - 
Natural gas liquids: 
 LPgases thousandgallons.. Natural gasoline and cycle products d& - -
- 
Petroleum (crude) thousand 42-gallon barrels..Sand and gravel thousand short
tons...Stone do...... 
Value of items that cannot be disclosed: Cement, lime, and pumice2      
                               
 
Total                                     
Total 1957—59 constant dollars                   
10,196 
 
19,670 
9,195 
13,850 
13,539 
5,055 
 
 XX 
1,621 
 
1,141 
 653 
37,673 
14,179 
7,916 
 
15,180 
8,453 
 
20,738 
7,805 
13,373 
11,739 
4,846 
 
 XX 
1,454 
 
1,223 
 578 
36,775 
10,878 
7,483 
 
12,330 
 
XX 
xx 
78,521 
r 76,276 
XX 
XX 
70,868 
68,644 
' Revised. 
 NA Not available. XX Not applicable. 
 1 Production as measured by mine shipments, sales, or marketable production
(including consumption by producers). 
 2 Value 1966, f.o.b. mine and/or grinding plant; value 1967, f.o.b. mine.