Monday, March 12 Zoo growth plan on table this week BLANK PARK ZOO officials want to add $50 million in exhibits and attractions. The 10-year plan requires space, so they have considered part of Fort Des Moines Park, which is controlled by the Polk County Conservation Board. FORT DES MOINES PARK has more than 100 acres. It includes a fishing lake, a playground, shelters and a rare stand of oak trees. Peter Heimdahl of the Save Fort Des Moines Committee fears that "public green space is fair game" if parkland is used for a zoo project. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/NEWS05/703120334/-1/archive ----------------------- Farmers care about water quality; bill is good start By CRAIG LANG IOWA VIEW ll you have to do is look out your window to realize why all Iowans care about water quality. Eight-foot drifts of snow are melting, filling creeks and rivers. But soon, instead of muddy, partially-frozen ground, you'll see the trees blooming and plants sprouting. Iowa is blessed with an average 32 inches of precipitation a year. Farmers have to make a living off the land, but that rainfall impacts their efforts. Last week's Register editorial, "Don't Be Fooled By a Dirty Water Bill," criticizes those farmers who, rather than just talk about water quality, are truly trying to do something about it. Farmers have become the target of choice in part because up to 95 percent of our state's land use is agriculture. Fingers are pointed and misinformation and innuendo becomes fact, simply because it's printed in the Register. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/OPINION01/703120301/1035/archive -------------------------- Sunday, March 11 Pork producers try to keep ethanol from hogging corn They vote to support the expiration of two ethanol financial incentives By JERRY PERKINS REGISTER FARM EDITOR Reacting to higher corn prices from increased demand for ethanol, pork producers are fighting back. Delegates to the National Pork Producers Council's annual meeting last week in Anaheim, Calif., voted to support the expiration of two important ethanol financial incentives. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/BUSINESS01/703110331/1029/archive ------------------------ Brasher: Terminating biofuel subsidies would wreak havoc on crop prices Corn's dip could be 30 cents a bushel, meaning farmers could lose tens of thousands of dollars. WASHINGTON FARM REPORT By PHILIP BRASHER REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU Washington, D.C. - The most valuable subsidies to many farmers today are ones they never get - the federal tax credits for biofuels and the U.S. tariff on imported ethanol. Their importance is made clear in two recent reports that look at what would happen if those measures end. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/BUSINESS01/703110329/1029/archive ----------------------- Grassroots: Ikes host farm bill forum in Des Moines The Izaak Walton League of America will hold a farm bill forum, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday, at the Des Moines Izaak Walton League's chapter house, 4343 George Flagg Parkway in Des Moines. The Des Moines forum will feature roundtable discussions by agricultural, conservation and rural organizations. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Iowa Department of Natural Resources director Rich Leopold will be among the participants. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/BUSINESS01/703110330/1029/archive --------------------- How to get your message across to elected officials Government actions directly impact the quality of your life. That reality might not hit home until the Legislature cuts funding to the state universities, and rising tuition forces your child to take out a bigger loan. Or Congress spends another year doing nothing about the alternative minimum tax, and it means you pay another $5,000 in taxes. Or a president decides to go to war, and a loved one is killed. What government does or doesn't do affects your life. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/OPINION03/703110313/1035/archive ----------------------- Doak: Energy independence is the wrong goal for Iowa By RICHARD DOAK SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER Gov. Chet Culver and state legislators want to set an official goal for Iowa to achieve energy independence by 2025. No, no, no. That's the wrong target. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/OPINION01/703110308/1035/archive ---------------------- Yepsen: Democrats are chicken on hog lots By DAVID YEPSEN REGISTER POLITICAL COLUMNIST One of the biggest disappointments of this Legislature and governor is their failure to address the local-control issues surrounding large hog lots in Iowa. Most of the other priorities in the Democratic Party platform are getting attention - more money for teachers, more money for public-employee unions, expanded stem-cell research, a cigarette-tax increase and anti-discrimination measures for gays and lesbians. But there's been little on local control. Why? http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/OPINION01/703110327/1035/archive ------------------------------ New yard waste program available in Johnston By JULI PROBASCO-SOWERS REGISTER STAFF WRITER Metro Waste and the City of Johnston are offering Johnston residents a premium yard waste collection service for the upcoming season. The program is an optional, subscription-based service available in addition to Compost It bags and stickers. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070310/NEWS/70309033/-1/archive -------------------- Power Fund plan heads in right direction Unveiling of details shows right focus, flexibility. If you had $100 million to spend to keep Iowa on the cutting edge of renewable energy, how would you spend it? Gov. Chet Culver's staff announced Friday how the governor would answer: In short, he would appoint a committee of experts to decide. Although that may sound like passing the buck, it's actually a reasonable answer. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070310/OPINION03/703100317/1035/archive ---------------------- U.S., Brazil announce ethanol pact Accord stops short of pledging subsidies for Latin America By PHILIP BRASHER REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU Washington, D.C. - The United States and Brazil have agreed to steps to encourage biofuel development in Latin America, but an end to the U.S. import tariff on ethanol is off the table for now. The U.S.-Brazil pact calls for funding feasibility studies on increased ethanol production and use in the region. The two countries also pledged to work on developing common international standards for biofuels. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070310/BUSINESS01/703100323/1029/archive ------------------------------- Friday, March 9 Melting snow causes manure spill TOM BARTON REGISTER STAFF WRITER Atlantic, Ia. — The melting of recent snowfall from last week's winter storm is causing more concern that just flooding. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced Friday that it is investigating two manure spills caused by runoff from open cattle feedlots in Shelby and Montgomery Counties. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/NEWS/70309059/-1/archive ----------------------- Boswell staffer to visit Clive library By JARED STRONG REGISTER STAFF WRITER A member of U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell’s staff will be at the Clive Public Library Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon to discuss with people about their concerns or suggestions. The library’s address is 1900 N.W. 114th St. Constituents who cannot attend may call Boswell’s office at (515) 282-1909 or (888) 432-1984, or visit the office at 300 E. Locust St., Suite 320 in Des Moines. ---------------------- Come along on a night hike at Jester Park JULI PROBASCO-SOWERS REGISTER STAFF WRITER Mark March 23 on the calendar for a night hike at Jester Park near Johnston. Participants will hike thorugh the woods by moonlight and listen and watch for the woods to come alive. They will discover animals that are out and about at night. All ages are welcome. For more information call 323-5300. --------------------- Panel backs bill overhauling livestock laws The proposed rules for one of Iowa's hallmark industries abandons talk of giving counties local zoning control. BY PERRY BEEMAN AND JENNIFER JACOBS REGISTER STAFF WRITERS Putting more distance between new or expanding livestock farms and homes, water supplies and tourism areas is the aim of a proposal being considered by Iowa lawmakers. It's a major overhaul of state livestock laws, and is intended to limit threats to Iowans' health, waterways and air quality. It abandons talk of giving counties local zoning control over livestock operations or calling a moratorium on new construction. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/NEWS10/703090383/-1/archive -------------------- Ethanol industry OK with Brazil pact By PHILIP BRASHER REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU Washington, D.C. — The United States and Brazil announced some steps to encourage biofuel development in the hemisphere, but the relatively modest measures stopped well short of what would stir opposition from the booming U.S. ethanol industry. The U.S.-Brazil pact calls for feasibility studies for ethanol production and use in Latin America. The two countries also pledged to work on developing common international standards for biofuels. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/BUSINESS01/70309024/1029/archive - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/