To protect the Great Lakes from the threat of invasive carp, Reps. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) introduced the Guarding Our Great Lakes Act on Friday.
“After years of study, we must begin making tangible progress to safeguard the Great Lakes ecosystem and the $7 billion economy it supports – and that is exactly what this bill would do,” Camp said. “The Guarding Our Great Lakes Act would take the next necessary actions to prevent the spread of Asian carp.”
The bill directs the control efforts to the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet, Illinois, south of the Chicago Area Waterway System. It also requires the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force to work with state and local agencies to identify and begin work on water quality and flood mitigation projects that will be necessary for any permanent solution.
“Focusing control efforts at Brandon Road Lock and Dam, and beginning to improve the Chicago Area Waterway System are vital steps that need to be taken as we continue working to find a permanent solution,” Camp said.
Asian carp are an invasive species that destroy native ecosystems and can harm the economies of the surrounding areas, which depend on the Great Lakes for their way of life.