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Clinton offers rural proposals in Iowa

The Columbian
Published: August 25, 2015, 5:00pm

DES MOINES, Iowa — Hillary Rodham Clinton is proposing more money for programs that help new farmers and increase access to fresh food as part of a rural agenda for her Democratic presidential campaign.

Clinton was introducing the plan Wednesday in a daylong tour of Iowa, the leadoff caucus state, during a break in her vacation in the Hamptons. According to a copy of the plan provided by the campaign, Clinton promises to boost rural economic investment, increase agricultural production, promote clean energy and enhance access to health care and education. The campaign material does not say how much her proposals would cost or how she would pay for them.

“We must do more to ensure the vitality of our rural areas—not only because America’s 46 million rural residents make up nearly 15 percent of our population, but also because rural America provides the foundation for the entire country’s economic success,” the plan states.

About 36 percent of Iowans live in rural areas, according to census data, and agriculture is a major driver of the state economy.

Clinton pledges to invest in rural business and infrastructure, including expanding tax credits and grants available to those communities. Money to help farmers who are starting out and for farmers markets and local foods would be doubled under her plan.

Iowa is the nation’s leading producer of ethanol, a fuel additive made mostly from corn, and a key concern for many has been future federal support for renewable fuels. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed reducing the required volume of renewable fuels in U.S. gasoline. Clinton says she will seek to strengthen the renewable fuel standard, but does not provide further details.

While she remains the front-runner in the Democratic primary contest, Clinton has struggled with questions over her use of a private email account and server as secretary of state. Seeking to focus the debate on her policies, she interrupted her New York vacation for the campaign trip, which will also take her to the Democratic National Committee meeting in Minneapolis this week.

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