Sep 15: Michigan's Governor Granholm and MDNRE Director Rebecca Humphries met at the White House with governors and representatives from other Great Lakes states to urge Federal officials to adopt a stronger response to the threat posed by Asian carp to the Great Lakes. The Governor said, "I am grateful that the Obama administration has identified John Goss as the new Asian Carp Director and I implore him to bring to this position the sense of urgency required to strengthen and expedite the federal response necessary to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. We should not leave any options on the table in protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem and the $7 billion recreational fishing and $16 billion recreational boating industries that this invasive species threatens."
Granholm said the threat of invading carp must be considered an emergency that merits action by the Army Corps of Engineers to quickly implement a separation between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. The Governor believes the current timeline to study separation as one potential option to addressing carp does not reflect the seriousness of the situation. Humphries said, "We continue to urge swift action by the Army Corps to expedite necessary studies to move to permanent separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watershed. We appreciate the work completed thus far and look forward to collaborating with the Army Corps and other federal agencies on measures to achieve permanent separation."
Access a release from the Governor (click here). Access a release from the White House with additional information (click here).
Granholm said the threat of invading carp must be considered an emergency that merits action by the Army Corps of Engineers to quickly implement a separation between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. The Governor believes the current timeline to study separation as one potential option to addressing carp does not reflect the seriousness of the situation. Humphries said, "We continue to urge swift action by the Army Corps to expedite necessary studies to move to permanent separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watershed. We appreciate the work completed thus far and look forward to collaborating with the Army Corps and other federal agencies on measures to achieve permanent separation."
Access a release from the Governor (click here). Access a release from the White House with additional information (click here).
