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.
Dr. James E. Hansen, the NASA scientist who is world-renowned for his work on global climate research, will return to Iowa next week when he appears before the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB). Hansen will again lobby for a ban on new coal plant construction and make stops in Des Moines and Iowa City to join panel discussions Jan 16 and 17.
Hansen is the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies and has measured planetary climates since working on his doctoral thesis at the University of Iowa .
Hansen said that coal-fired power plants account for the largest portion of greenhouse gas emissions and that ending coal plant construction is the easiest way to curb climate change. He also noted that pollutants that result from coal burning, like mercury, are also damaging to public health.
Hansen commented on the challenges of clearly communicating on the issue of global warming and climate change:
“… there remains a gap between what is understood about global warming by the relevant scientific community and what is known by those who need to know, and thats the public and policy makers, and its maybe partly that scientists are just not very good communicators.
It’s also a complex subject, but it’s particularly handicapped by the fact that there special interests who would like that communication to be hindered and by continually raising questions and muddying the discussion, it has made it more difficult to communicate without a doubt … we’ve got to do better on our communications because we’re running out of time.”
In a media conference call yesterday he said he was coming to Iowa as a private citizen and that he recently declined an invite to appear on the “Colbert Report” because the show’s format did not serve his message.Hansen and other experts will be in Des Moines at the State Historical Society Building on Wednesday, Jan. 16:
5:30-6pm Press Conference
6:00-7:00 Legislators reception on the third floor
7:00-8:30 A panel discussion with expert witnesses based on prepared questions and questions from the audience. This event will be moderated by State Sen. Robb Hogg of Cedar Rapids Iowa .
A similar forum will be held in Iowa City Thursday, Jan. 17 at Old Brick Church (corner of Market and Clinton)
5:00-7:00 Fund raising event open to the public.
7:00-8:30 A panel discussion with expert witnesses based on prepared questions and questions from the audience.
This event will be moderated by Professor Craig Just, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa .
There is also a classroom seminar earlier that Thursday, Jan. 17, at 3:30pm in the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, Room 104 IATL on the campus of the University of Iowa .
Hansen is scheduled to testify before the IUB on Friday, Jan 18.
To hear the entire conference call with Hansen, download an mp3 of the 41 minute press conference here: http://www.reamp.org…
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