FROM: CONGRESSMAN DAVE CAMP
Recently, the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) released a new report on ways to stop Asian carp and other invasive species from entering the Great Lakes. The study was required by the Stop the Invasive Species Act, which was authored by Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and signed into law in July 2012. The law required the Corps to complete the report two years earlier than previously scheduled and to focus on hydrological separation to stop invasive species. Unfortunately, the Army Corps’ proposals for projects that could stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes are not yet developed enough to allow work on those projects to begin.
“While the report focused on a number of options to protect the Great Lakes, it failed to fully develop a permanent solution to prevent Asian carp from destroying the Great Lakes,” said Camp. “I am concerned many of the Corps’ proposed options rely on undeveloped technology and do not adequately account for the region’s transportation needs. More work is needed to completely develop a serious plan to protect the Great Lakes and the jobs and economy they support.”
Following the report, the Army Corps of Engineers is holding public briefings across the Great Lakes region and accepting public comments. To read and offer comments on the report click here.
The report comes in the wake of alarming incidents that illustrate how close Asian carp are to the Great Lakes and how vulnerable the Lakes are to invasion and ecological destruction.
