Michigan asks Supreme Court to close lock

Michigan asks Supreme Court to close lock    Michigan State Attorney General Mike Cox has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to immediately order federal, state, and local officials responsible for Chicago-area locks and waterways to close them in order to stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.
   The state said the fish are an aggressive invasive species that could quickly devastate Great Lakes fish populations, causing severe damage to Michigan’s economy by ruining the Great Lakes’ $7 billion fishing and tourism industries.
   But a major trade organization said Tuesday that closing the waterway connecting the Mississippi River system with the Great Lakes would have a severe impact on Chicago-area businesses and the region’s economy and hurt the economy by preventing the use of efficient and lower polluting barge transport.
   “Stopping Asian carp is an economic and environmental necessity for Michigan,” Cox said. “The Great Lakes are an irreplaceable resource.
Thousands of jobs are at stake and we will not get a second chance once the carp enter Lake Michigan.
   “The actions of Illinois and federal authorities have not been enough to assure us the Lakes are safe,” Cox added. “That’s why the waterways must be shut down until we are assured that Michigan will be protected.”
   Cox filed suit in the Supreme Court on Monday asking that:
   *Locks at the O’Brien Lock and Dam and the Chicago Controlling Works be closed.
   *Operation of the sluice gates at the Wilmette Pumping Station, the O’Brien Lock and Dam, and the Chicago Controlling Works are conducted in a manner that will prevent carp from passing into Lake Michigan.
   *Creation of new barriers to prevent carp from escaping from the Des Plaines River into the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal during flood events, and from getting to Lake Michigan through the Grand and Little Calumet Rivers.
   *A comprehensive study of the Chicago waterway system to define where and how many carp are in these waters, and to eradicate them.
   *Taking action to permanently separate the waterways from the Great Lakes.
   Michigan’s suit comes after Illinois and federal authorities reportedly carried out the largest fish kill in Illinois history in response to the discovery of Asian carp DNA just miles from Lake Michigan. That action uncovered a carp near the electrical barrier, causing Cox to call for immediate action.
   The American Waterways Operators responded on Tuesday with a call to allow the industry to continue operating between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River system, saying that since 2004 the industry has cooperated with federal and state agencies on the “operation of the electric fish barrier to protect the Great Lakes and Western Rivers from invasive species, while ensuring the safe and efficient operation of this major transportation route. A lock closure would upset this balance without a guarantee of deterring the Asian carp.”