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.
President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan does not include sufficient funding for intercity passenger rail, according to a group of Iowa lawmakers.
A bill passed last week by the U.S. House allocates $1.1 billion to rail – $800 million to Amtrak and $300 million to state projects to improve intercity rail outside of Amtrak’s capital needs.
“The best way to make sure our transportation investments meet our energy policy goals is to invest in intercity rail,” said Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg. “We cannot afford to miss this opportunity to create jobs that lead to long-term prosperity through better intercity rail that connects the Midwest.”
Kibbie, along with state Sen. Daryl Beall, D-Ft. Dodge, and State Rep. Paul Bell, D-Newton, are Iowa’s legislatively-appointed members to the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC), a 10-state coalition that advocates at the local, state and federal levels for passenger rail development.
The commission has submitted to congressional leaders a list of more than $815 million in projects that could move forward within 120 days. In Iowa, the federal stimulus could provide funding for track, signaling and other improvements to begin new service between the Quad Cities and Iowa City, and between Chicago and Dubuque. The lawmakers point to a proposal from the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee which recommended a $5 billion total investment in rail, including $3.4 billion for state passenger rail projects, $1.5 billion for Amtrak and $100 million for short line railroads.
“The economic stimulus plan currently being considered by Congress provides an incredible opportunity to build a modern regional passenger rail network that makes America and Iowa more energy-efficient, sustainable and prosperous, while at the same time putting more Iowans and Americans to work,” Beall said.
The U.S. Senate is expected to debate the stimulus plan this week.
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