Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Several influential Democratic lawmakers told the Cedar Rapids Gazette’s Rob Boshart an 8 cent per gallon increase to the state’s gas tax will be brought up this session despite Gov. Chet Culver’s previous statements that a gas tax is off the table.
Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg; Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, co-chair of the Legislature’s Transportation, Infrastructure & Capitals budget subcommittee; Sen. Tom Rielly, D-Oskaloosa, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee; and Brian Quirk, D-New Hampton, chair of the House Transportation Committee all said they expect to the legislature to take up the gas tax issue sooner rather than later.
Kibbie said he believes there are minority Republicans who would support a user fee increase by which out-of-state motorists who represent 20 percent of yearly vehicles miles traveled in Iowa but contribute 13 percent of the revenue would share more of the cost for repairs, maintenance and improvements.
The Senate president said the odds of a gas tax debate taking place on the Senate floor this year are “better than 50 percent.”
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