Kildee: We Must Protect Our Great Lakes from the Threat of Asian Carp

Contact: Erin Donar
(202) 225-3611

WASHINGTON, DC – Upon reports that an Asian Carp has been found past the electronic barriers in Chicago waterways and only six miles from Lake Michigan, Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI), called for the immediate closure of Chicago-area shipping locks. Congressman Kildee, a member of the Great Lakes Task Force and a staunch defender of the Great Lakes, released the following statement:

“With new evidence that Asian carp have breached the electronic barriers protecting the Great Lakes from this dangerously invasive species, the urgency of the situation is abundantly clear. The Chicago-area locks must be closed immediately to protect our region from this threat. We must act quickly, or risk the destruction of the Great Lakes ecosystem and the countless industries and communities that rely upon the resources provided by these great bodies of water,” said Congressman Kildee.

In December 2009, Congressman Kildee joined other members of the Michigan delegation to help secure $13.5 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fend off the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. He also is a co-sponsor of H.R. 4472, the Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today Act of 2010 which would immediately close Chicago-area locks until a strategy for dealing with this issue is developed.