August 07, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Judith Nemes
ELPC Calls for Structural Actions Now to Stop Threat of Asian Carp in the Great Lakes
U.S. Army Corps’ Asian carp long-delayed report must be followed with swift structural measures
ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner said in response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ release of its Brandon Road Lock & Dam report on recommendations to protect the Great Lakes from the Asian carp threat:
“The Army Corps report makes clear that it’s time for serious preventative actions to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes,” said Learner. “The ecological and economic costs of further delays are not sensible or acceptable. Serious people need to take serious action to address this serious problem.
“The federal government must move quickly to build stronger control points in the Chicago Area Waterway System to keep the Asian carp from entering our Great Lakes. The Asian carp have no natural predators in the Great Lakes and will disrupt the $62 billion economy based on fishing, boating and recreational activities.
”We cannot let the Trump Administration’s War on the Great Lakes involve insufficient actions to prevent the Asian carp from threatening our fresh water system. We commend the bipartisan Congressional supporters for advancing actions necessary to prevent Asian carp from getting into the Great Lakes that 42 million people rely upon for safe clean drinking water.”