The final action was taken Tuesday in a unanimous vote of the Hall County Board of Supervisors.
NPPD had previously been designated to buy more than 1,600 acres for construction of a potential coal-fired power plant, but was seeking to buy another 483 acres that DTE deemed it wouldn't need for its railcar repair business.
"I want the board to know that DTE is doing all that it can to ensure that NPPD chooses this location for their future coal-fired power plant," said Steve Christian, DTE Rail Services vice president and general manager.
Christian wrote a letter to the board supporting DTE being undesignated to buy the 483 acres and NPPD being redesignated for the same property. The designation status gives an entity exclusive purchase negotiation rights with the Army.
NPPD President Bill Fehrman said last month that the redesignation would increase the attractiveness of the CAAP property for construction of a power plant.
The county board also on Tuesday held a public hearing on the rezoning of 389 acres of CAAP land being sold to Southern Public Power District for development into an industrial park. The land is zoned Ag-Special Conservation and is being considered for Ag-Special Industrial zoning.
"Livestock regulations in Special Conservation are the same as in Special Industrial; the same uses in Special Conservation are allowed in Special Industrial," Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity said. "Special Industrial allows industrial uses not allowed in Special Conservation."
No one spoke against the rezoning, which had already been recommended by the Regional Planning Commission. The county board is to take final action on the rezoning in two weeks when a resolution is prepared.
The board also heard a request from the Nebraska Off-highway Vehicle Association to use CAAP property for a recreation park for all-terrain vehicles.
"We need a place to ride close to Grand Island," said member Dennis Walz, 4213 Summer Circle.
ATV riders and dirt bikers currently travel to Halsey or Genoa to ride, he said.
But supervisors simply referred Walz to the city of Grand Island, which bought CAAP land to develop into a shooting range, campground and recreational area.
That's the only land available that may be suited to such a use, said Supervisor Jim Eriksen, who chairs the reuse committee overseeing the sale of CAAP property.
Virtually all of the 20 square miles that made up the former ammunition plant has been sold to private owners or has been designated to specific buyers for specific uses. Only 724 acres remain to be sold at auction next year.
Supervisor Dick Hartman said ATV use on any of the CAAP land is not desirable because it may scare livestock that area producers have grazing on the land.
The city and county also lack the resources to patrol and respond to the complaints that a public ATV park near Grand Island may generate, Supervisor Scott Arnold said.
For the record
In other action on Tuesday, the county board: