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.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an energy bill Thursday that is sure to make Iowa corn farmers smile.
The bill lifts federal renewable fuels standards to require annual usage of 36 billion gallons of biofuels by the year 2022, a level that is approximately five times more than the current usage of biofuels.
Iowa's congressional delegation was split on the final passage of the bill. Democrats Rep. Bruce Braley, Rep. Leonard Boswell and Rep. Dave Loebsack all voted in favor of the bill. But Republicans Rep. Steve King and Rep. Tom Latham voted against it.
The bill also raises fuel efficiency standards by 40 percent for cars and light trucks on America's roads. The bill will require vehicles to get 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020. A Washington Post article Thursday outlined some of the major components of the bill.
The future of the bill is uncertain. The White House has issued a veto threat, but the bill must first make its way through a testy U.S. Senate.
The Senate has been mired in procedural gridlock on the 2007 Farm Bill and other legislation, and there is little evidence to show that the energy bill would have a better chance of passing than other bills.
There have been reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., may call senators to a rare Saturday session to address the energy bill. That may cause conflicts with some of the schedules of presidential candidates, who had hoped to spend the weekend campaigning. An Associated Press article today notes that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., may have to make a choice between voting on the energy bill on Saturday or attending a much-anticipated rally in Des Moines with Oprah Winfrey.
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