Email This Article Print This Article Action Needed to Protect Great Lakes from Asian Carp Invasion State Legislators Send Letter to Congressional Great Lakes Task Force Members Dec 16, 2009 December 16, 2009 Dear Congressional Great Lakes Task Force Members: As you know, the Asian silver and bighead carps are well-established in the Illinois River, which is connected to the Great Lakes by the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC). In order to protect against a likely Asian carp invasion of the Great Lakes, an electrical barrier was activated in 2009 to keep the fish away from the Great Lakes. Alarmingly, in the past month, reports indicate that Asian carp DNA was found beyond the electric barrier, and less than 7 miles from Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes now face impending ecological disaster from the invasion of two species of Asian carp. In order to protect the Great Lakes, we urge you to take immediate action to achieve the following: • Close the O’Brien, Chicago and Wilmette Locks until it is determined that Asian carp are not present above the electrical barriers; • Increase the voltage of the electrical barriers to prevent Asian carp of any size from crossing the barrier; • Immediately begin construction of emergency measures to stop Asian carp from bypassing the electrical barriers via flooding and any other means; • Create a permanent ecological separation between the Great Lakes and the Chicago Waterway System. As we write, the governor and attorney general of Michigan are considering their options to stop the invasion. Other states have been asked to follow suit. The protection of the Great Lakes urgently requires your federal leadership. Given this unprecedented situation, we urge you to aggressively exercise all necessary options to prevent movement of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. We also encourage you to join the Great Lakes Task Force’s sign-on letter, which is being circulated for signature, addressed to the Secretary of the Army, Civil Works, the Administrator of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. We understand the sign-on deadline for the letter is December 17. Thank you for your continued leadership on Great Lakes issues. Sincerely, Senator Pamela J. Althoff Illinois Representative Naomi Jakobsson, Illinois Representative Patti Bellock, Illinois Senator Karen Tallian, Indiana Representative Linda C. Lawson, Indiana Representative Rebekah Warren, Chair, Great Lakes & Environment Committee Michigan Representative Sarah Roberts, Michigan Representative Rick Jones, Michigan Representative Lee Gonzales, Michigan Representative Mark Meadows, Michigan Senator Liz Brater, Michigan Representative Paul Anderson, Minnesota Representative John Persell, Minnesota Representative David Bly, Minnesota Representative Jeff Hayden, Minnesota Representative Denny McNamara, Minnesota Senator Linda Higgins, Minnesota Senator John Marty, Minnesota Representative Sandra Masin, Minnesota Assembly Member Robert Sweeney, Chair, Committee on Environmental Conservation New York Assembly Member Richard Brodsky, New York Assembly Member Donna Lupardo, New York Representative Ted Celeste, Ohio Representative Michael J. Skindell, Ohio Representative Mike Foley, Ohio Representative Marian Harris, Ohio Representative Denise Driehaus, Ohio Representative Patrick Harkins, Pennsylvania Representative Babette Josephs, Pennsylvania Representative Spencer Black, Chair, House Natural Resources Committee Wisconsin Representative Marlin Schneider, Wisconsin Senator Judy Robson, Wisconsin Senator Rob Cowles, Wisconsin Representative Jon Richards, Wisconsin Representative Steve Hilgenberg, Wisconsin Email This Article Print This Article

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