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.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., tells The Hill that the landmark climate bill being drafted by U.S. Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., will likely be given a vote as an amendment to U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s, D-N.M., energy-only bill. If Schumer’s right — and he’s very close to the Democratic leadership, so there’s every reason to believe he is — this would represent a major step backward for America’s efforts to fight global warming.
Schumer said that the Bingaman proposal would be “the base bill upon which John Kerry will seek to add his bill,” clarifying that “he’s going, in my opinion, going to get a chance to offer it in the form of an amendment.”
Bingaman’s bill, which provides incentives to develop cleaner energy sources but does not address planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, has been derided by environmentalists for its handouts to the energy industry. Some argue that the renewable energy targets in his bill are lower than would be met by the status quo.
The hope among environmental advocates was that the Bingaman proposal would be folded into Kerry and Lieberman’s comprehensive climate bill, which places a declining cap on carbon emissions among certain polluting sectors of the economy. Some conservative Democrats have called for a separate vote on an energy-only bill, which would be far less controversial (since it would not impose a cost on emissions) but would not directly address climate change.
If the climate proposal is indeed introduced as an amendment, its chances of passage are low, since vulnerable senators will be able to claim environmental credentials by voting for the underlying energy bill while voting down the controversial climate amendment.
Expect strong pushback from environmental groups and liberal Democrats if Schumer’s hunch is confirmed.
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