Proposed Iowa sales tax would spruce up state By PERRY BEEMAN • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • January 29, 2008 Lawmakers from both parties teamed up Monday to endorse a constitutional amendment that would impose a $150-million- per-year sales tax to clean Iowa waterways, improve parks, build trails and save soil.The money from a special 0.375 percent sales tax would go into a special natural-resources account that would be protected by the Constitution and subject to regular audits. The money would pay for new trails and expansions of soil and water conservation, parks, lake restorations and public access, and to double spending on the Resource Enhancement and Protection program, to $40 million per year. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080129/NEWS/801290386 ------------- D.M. council OKs ethanol extension By MELISSA WALKER • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • January 29, 2008 The developers of a $210 million ethanol plant on Des Moines' southeast side will receive one more chance to pull together financing for their project before city leaders pull the plug.Vision Fuels Des Moines wants to construct a conventional corn ethanol plant, which would use natural gas as its power supply, in a city-owned area south of the Iowa State Fairgrounds called Agrimergent Technology Park. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080129/NEWS05/801290395/-1/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 To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp