Gov. Terry Branstad told reporters Monday that he might consider approving the 3/8ths of 1 percent sales tax to fund a voter-approved conservation and recreation fund if it were offset by income tax cuts.

Lawmakers failed to pass any major water quality measure, considered one of the most important goals of this session. That set off a predictable blame fest Monday, but also brought pledges to try again.

That’s an idea that had been floated by many, including Sen. David Johnson of Ocheyedan, a longtime supporter of the Iowa Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. The fund would provide $150 million or more a year for conservation projects on farms, recreation facilities and other projects.

Branstad, a Republican, noted that he had offered his “bold plan” to divert money from an extended sales tax established for school projects and use it for a water quality project, an idea endorsed by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a Democrat. The idea quickly died amid opposition from both parties.

“The Iowa House of Representatives responded by approving bipartisan legislation, providing a distribution system similar to the one we recommended, while allocating more than $732 million over the next 13 years to water quality projects,” Branstad said. “We worked closely with legislators on this proposal and supported the progress and approach that was taken. However, we’re very disappointed that Senate Democratic leadership decided to bury the House bill with no debate and offering no alternative. Water quality is a critical issue, and we will continue to work to build support for a long-term funding solution to address water quality efforts in Iowa.”     

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal contended that the impasse was the Republicans’ fault because they insisted on taking money from existing programs. He was particularly incensed at the idea of shifting money from education — one of his personal top priorities.

“Taking money from one priority — public schools — and giving it to another priority — water quality — was met with bipartisan opposition in the Senate and statewide opposition from education advocates,” Gronstal said.