Bill angles to stop carp

Bill angles to stop carp    Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., has introduced legislation aimed at halting the potential entry of Asian carp into the Great Lakes and constructing permanent barriers to block the invasive species.
   Camp introduced H.R. 4472, the CARP ACT, an acronym for “Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today.” It seeks to achieve similar results as the motion filed before the U.S. Supreme Court by Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox. The court announced Tuesday that it would not issue a temporary injunction in that case, and Camp said that would leave open pathways through which Asian carp could enter the Great Lakes.
   'It is clear Asian Carp pose an immediate threat to the Great Lakes, its ecosystem and the 800,000 jobs it supports,' Camp said. “This bill takes necessary action to protect the Great Lakes while minimizing the commercial and environmental impact on Chicago and the State of Illinois.'
   Camp said he was introducing his bill also on the heels of report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that environmental DNA for silver carp, one of the Asian carp species of concern was found in Calumet Harbor, about one-half mile north of the Calumet River, and one more at a location in the Calumet River north of O'Brien Lock.
   It is feared that the invasive carp, which have spread through the Mississippi River system, will make their way through the Chicago River and Sanitary Canal system, escape into the Great Lakes and devastate local fisheries.
   The American Waterways Operators and Waterways Council, industry groups promoting the barge industry and inland waterways, blasted Camp’s legislation saying it would devastate the Great Lakes economy, jeopardizing businesses and thousands of jobs in the economically strapped region.
   The bill “would immediately shut down Chicago-area locks in order to prevent the invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes. Preventing the spread of invasive species is a serious environmental challenge that demands a coordinated, science-based solution. Knee-jerk actions like the CARP Act only serve to add to the hysteria without any guarantee that the carp's spread will be stopped.”