From: Whipple, Deb (GOV)
Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 4:49 PM
Subject: What the Governor is talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about Today
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
 
Humphries Testifies on Asian Carp Threat; Governor Says Federal Plan Falls Short
 
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Director Rebecca Humphries testified in Washington, D.C. today at a hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment, on what needs to be done to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.
 
Yesterday, Governor Granholm and other Great Lakes governors met with Obama administration officials in Washington to discuss the carp threat.  The governor said a proposal unveiled by the White House falls short of protecting the Great Lakes from the threat posed by Asian carp, and continued her call for the locks in Illinois to be closed to protect the ecosystem and the $9 billion boating and $7 billion sport and commercial fishing industries that support the regional economy.
 
“I am grateful for the good deal of effort and thought that has gone into this by the Obama administration, but I am very disappointed with the proposal presented during the White House meeting,” the governor said.  “We have to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes, but the proposal presented still leaves the lakes vulnerable to this threat.”
 
The governor said she supports creating a physical and biological separation between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed that keeps Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan. She has called for closing the locks between the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) electrical barrier and Lake Michigan until that separation is constructed.  However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposes to continue operating the locks while attempts are made to suppress Asian carp populations.
 
“While we did have some areas of agreement with the White House, we believe that the plan does not adequately address the concerns we have been voicing about the imminent threat Asian carp pose to the Great Lakes,” the governor said.  “I believe the proposal’s primary objectives are not sustainable, and that this is a plan to limit damages — not solve the problem.”
 
The only options that exist presently for fish population suppressions in rivers and canals are the use of rotenone and crews of commercial fishermen netting fish.  To keep the locks open requires frequent poisoning of the waters with rotenone, the governor noted, as well as long-term monitoring.  Neither option is a real solution, she said.  She also expressed concern that nearly 70 percent of the funding for the federal Asian carp proposal comes from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, an interagency plan to target the most significant problems in the region, including invasive aquatic species, non-point source pollution and contaminated sediment.
 
“We are concerned they are robbing funds from other vital issues we need to address in Great Lakes restoration,” the governor said.  “The needs we have to address environmental and sustainability issues in the Great Lakes are paramount and a major economic issue for our state.”
 
The governor and the Michigan congressional delegation do support the administration’s multi-tiered approach to addressing the Asian carp issue.  They also support emergency measures to block passage of water and fish between the Des Plaines River and the CSSC, and the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the CSSC.  Michigan also supports increased research of the issue and construction of an additional barrier.
 
“I applaud the administration for its commitment to construction of the second electrical fish barrier, separation of the rivers and canal systems to prevent carp movement during floods, increased research, and an aggressive public education campaign,” the governor said.  “These areas of agreement, however, are not enough to address this very serious issue threatening the health of the Great Lakes and the region’s tourism economy.”
 
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