White House suggests holding summit on Asian carp with Great Lakes governors next month

Asian carp summit could be held in early February

LANSING, Mich. — The White House said Wednesday it wants to hold a meeting in early February with Great Lakes governors concerned about Asian carp invading the lakes.

The Democratic governors of Michigan and Wisconsin requested the summit Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Michigan’s request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily shut the shipping locks near Chicago and work out a way to stop the carp.

On Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s spokeswoman called the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s proposal to hold a meeting the first week of February in the Midwest or Washington a welcome move.

“The Obama administration clearly understands the urgency of this critical issue, and we look forward to meeting with them on the threat the Asian carp poses to the Great Lakes,” Megan Brown said.

Concern about the progression of the Asian carp toward the Great Lakes increased this week after DNA samples taken beyond the final barriers between Chicago-area waterways and Lake Michigan tested positive for the aggressive fish.

A Michigan congressman introduced legislation Wednesday to immediately halt the potential entry of the carp into the Great Lakes.

U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, titled his bill the CARP ACT, which he said stands for Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today.

“The failure of the Supreme Court to act yesterday jeopardizes the future of the Lakes and it is clear we must take additional steps now,” Camp said in a statement.

Under his bill, the Army Corps of Engineers would be directed to close the O’Brien Lock and Dam and the Chicago Controlling Works until a controlled lock operations strategy is developed. Additional barriers would be erected in nearby waterways to keep the carp from getting into Lake Michigan.

The corps would be directed to develop a strategy to mitigate the effects of closing the waterways on the state of Illinois and the businesses that use them, and also to figure out how the effects on Chicago flood control can be addressed.

Camp said the state of Illinois has legitimate concerns over having to block off nearby waterways, but “they do not outweigh the potential loss of a $7.5 billion industry and ecological devastation of the entire Great Lakes region.”

Brown said Granholm has not had time to review Camp’s legislation, but supports doing everything possible to protect the Great Lakes.