Peter Fischer will serve as Omaha Public Power District’s first in-house vice president and general counsel. The OPPD Board of Directors approved his appointment, effective May 11, at its monthly meeting this evening.
Fischer currently serves as associate general counsel for Black Hills Energy, where he provides legal counsel for the company and its electric and natural gas affiliates serving utility customers across eight states. He also led legal and compliance strategy for SAB BIO, including oversight of the biopharmaceutical company’s public debut on NASDAQ.
The utility made the decision in September to transition from an external general counsel role to an in-house position joining the executive leadership team. OPPD previously hired outside representation on a retainer basis, having utilized the Fraser Stryker law firm since 1951. Steve Bruckner has served as general counsel for OPPD for nearly 23 years.
“Steve’s expertise and extensive knowledge have been invaluable to OPPD through the years,” said CEO Javier Fernandez. “His steady leadership and solid judgment have guided the utility through unprecedented growth in energy demand, helping us secure generation and transmission resources to keep our grid reliable, as well as navigating OPPD through ever-changing legislation and regulations.”
Fernandez said the utility industry and OPPD continue to face increasing legal complexities with the need to thoughtfully meet rapidly increasing demand while balancing affordability and sustainability.
“Having a dedicated leader within our company makes sense for efficiency as we continually work to be good stewards for our customer-owners,” Fernandez said. “Peter’s vast experience in the utility space, including advising leaders on strategy, corporate governance and enterprise risk for utility-scale energy initiatives, will be a great asset to OPPD.”
Fischer holds a juris doctorate and master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota and is an active member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, the American Bar Association Section of Business Law and the State Bar of South Dakota.
New transmission projects
OPPD is working on a number of transmission projects to keep power reliable with increasing demand across our service territory and region. The board invites customers to learn more about two of these projects during upcoming presentations and open houses.
Plans include building approximately 40 miles of new transmission line from the Plattsmouth area to Nebraska City. The Cass to Nebraska City Transmission Project will create an additional pathway to boost system reliability and improve the north to south flow of power. It’s among a series of projects that will support growth and reliability for customers. The exact path and length of this line will be determined by OPPD’s routing, siting and public involvement efforts. To learn more, join us for an online presentation April 2 from 6 to 7 p.m. To register, visit OPPDCommunityConnect.com/Cass-to-Nebraska-City. The presentation will be available on that site afterward for those unable to attend.
OPPD is also working on the Arboretum to Midtown Transmission Project. It will provide reliability and resiliency to support growth in the urban core. This project will take part in two segments. The first involves rebuilding about five miles of existing line from the OPPD Arboretum, near 108th and Blondo streets, to 72nd and Pacific streets. Additionally, OPPD will build a new line on Pacific St. Between 72nd and 66th streets and rebuild an existing line from 66th St. to Saddle Creek Rd. and Leavenworth St. In the second segment, OPPD will build a new line from 72nd and Pine streets to Saddle Creek Rd. and Leavenworth St.
OPPD uses a routing, siting and public involvement process to determine where to place rebuilt and new transmission lines, taking into account stakeholder feedback while carefully evaluating criteria including environmental, engineering and community concerns. The public can learn more and share their thoughts during one of the following in-person open houses. Both offer the same information.
- Tuesday, April 14, 4-7 p.m.
Catalyst Omaha, Forge Event Hall, 4601 Catalyst Court, Omaha - Wednesday, April 15, 4-7 p.m.
Thompson Alumni Center, Bootstrapper Hall, 6705 Dodge Street, Omaha
For those unable to attend an open house, a self-guided virtual open house will be available to view on OPPDCommunityConnect.com after April 1. OPPD will receive feedback via that website through May 1.
In other action, the board:
- Approved the February 2026 meeting minutes and March 19, 2026, agenda.
- Accepted the Strategic Directive 1: Strategic Foundation monitoring report, finding the utility to be sufficiently in compliance with the directive.
- Authorized the sale of 2.2 acres of land located near 180th and Meridian St. to Sarpy County in the amount of $57,610. The land will be used for roadway improvements.
- Approved a resolution honoring Dennis D. Jorgensen who served on the OPPD Board of Directors from 1983 to 1996. Jorgensen died Feb. 24, 2026. During his tenure, Jorgensen served as vice chair and chaired several standing committees. He made an invaluable contribution with his unwavering commitment to public service.
Next board meetings
The next all-committees meeting will be held in person Tuesday, April 14, at 10 a.m. at OPPD administrative offices, 1919 Aksarben Dr. in Omaha, and virtually via Webex. The meeting link and instructions will be available at OPPD.com/CommitteeAgenda, beginning at about 9:45 a.m.
The next monthly board meeting is Thursday, April 16, at 5 p.m., at the Legislative Chamber of the Omaha-Douglas Civic Center, 1819 Farnam St., as well as virtually via Webex. The public can attend virtually via the meeting link and instructions at OPPD.com/BoardAgenda, beginning at 4:45 p.m.