[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 12, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1583-S1584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petition or memorial was laid before the Senate and was 
referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-203. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Michigan urging complete 
     hydrologic separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi 
     River basins, calling for the formation of a regional body to 
     negotiate terms of hydrologic separation, and urging Congress 
     and other entities to take interim steps to prevent Asian 
     carp movement into the Great Lakes; to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works.

                        House Resolution No. 305

       Whereas, The Great Lakes constitute one of the world's 
     greatest inland waterway systems. Recreational opportunities 
     on the lakes make Michigan and the region an attractive place 
     for businesses to locate. The Great Lakes support jobs across 
     a spectrum of industries that include manufacturing, tourism, 
     recreation, shipping--including freight transport and 
     warehousing--agriculture, science, engineering, utilities, 
     and mining. The protection of the Great Lakes is essential to 
     local and national economic growth; and
       Whereas, The Great Lakes are central to Michigan's state 
     identity and economy with a $15 billion annual tourism 
     industry and more than 1 million licensed anglers 
     contributing $2 billion to the economy; and
       Whereas, Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are one of the 
     foremost challenges facing the Great Lakes. Economic and 
     environmental damage from invasive species in the Great Lakes 
     basin is estimated at $5.7 billion per year, and commercial 
     and sport fishing in the Great Lakes basin have suffered 
     losses estimated at $4.5 billion; and
       Whereas, Asian carp pose an imminent threat to the Great 
     Lakes ecosystem and economy. The leading front of the Asian 
     carp population has been confirmed 25 miles downstream of the 
     electric barriers located on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship 
     Canal, and monitoring has detected Asian carp DNA between the 
     electric barriers and Lake Michigan. Research by U.S. and 
     Canadian fishery experts shows that there is a significant 
     risk of Asian carp surviving, spreading, and establishing 
     populations in the Great Lakes, particularly in shallow, 
     near-shore areas like Green Bay, Saginaw Bay, Lake St. Clair, 
     and Western Lake Erie. Once established, they can reproduce 
     rapidly, consume large quantities of food, disrupt local 
     ecosystems, out-compete native fish species, and devastate 
     recreational fishing and boating opportunities. If 
     populations of Asian carp become established in the Great 
     Lakes, they will be difficult, if not impossible, to control 
     or eradicate, and thus, the federal government has recognized 
     Asian carp as ``the most acute [aquatic invasive species] 
     threat facing the Great Lakes today''; and
       Whereas, A recent study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of 
     Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showed that 
     the electric barriers in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, 
     designed to prevent the spread of Asian carp and other 
     invasive fish, are not effective in stopping the movement of 
     all fish, especially small fish, and that barges can sweep 
     fish through the electric barrier; and
       Whereas, The Restoring the Natural Divide report prepared 
     by the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. 
     Lawrence Cities Initiative in 2012 presented three 
     alternatives for hydrologically separating the Great Lakes 
     and Mississippi River basins. The report demonstrates that a 
     long-term solution to prevent AIS transfer--while maintaining 
     or enhancing water quality, flood control, and 
     transportation--is possible; and
       Whereas, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the 
     Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) 
     report presenting a range of eight options and technologies 
     to prevent AIS movement between the Great Lakes and 
     Mississippi River basins, including two alternatives for full 
     hydrologic separation. The GLMRIS report recognizes 
     hydrologic separation as the most effective way to keep Asian 
     carp out of the Great Lakes and mitigate flooding; and
       Whereas, Complete hydrologic separation of the Great Lakes 
     and Mississippi River basins would be a project measured in 
     decades, not months or years. Asian carp pose a near 
     certainty of establishing populations in the Great Lakes 
     before the implementation of hydrologic separation from the 
     Mississippi River basin unless strong, strategic interim 
     measures are implemented; and
       Whereas, While the long-term solution is developed and 
     implemented, priority in the near-term should be given to 
     effectively preventing the movement of Asian carp into the 
     Great Lakes from the Mississippi River basin through 
     technologies, waterway system improvements, technology 
     demonstrations, and continued aggressive management practices 
     leading to real reductions in populations. One-way or partial 
     separation to prevent fish from moving upstream may be 
     possible to achieve in the near-term without having to 
     address major flooding and water quality issues. A short-term 
     plan of action should include study and evaluation of the 
     impacts on shipping infrastructure to provide feasible 
     options for promoting new alternative long-term solutions: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we find that 
     complete hydrologic separation is the most effective long-
     term solution for protecting the Great Lakes and Mississippi 
     River basins from aquatic invasive species (AIS) transfer and 
     urge its implementation; and be it further
       Resolved, That we memorialize the Congress of the United 
     States to call for immediate action on a suite of measures to 
     reduce the risk of Asian carp and other invasive species 
     passing through the Chicago Area Waterway System until 
     hydrologic separation can be completed, including:
       1. Continued implementation of the Asian Carp Control 
     Strategy Framework and related efforts;
       2. Continued support of extensive monitoring and control 
     efforts, including commercial fishing in the Chicago Area 
     Waterway System, led by the Illinois Department of Natural 
     Resources and its federal partners;
       3. Design and engineering of modifications to the Brandon 
     Road lock and dam structure or other appropriate lock to 
     reduce the risk of one-way transfer into Lake Michigan, 
     including additional electric barriers at the entrance and 
     exit of the lock, use of carbon dioxide as a fish deterrent, 
     modifications of the gates on the dam, and other 
     technologies; and be it further
       Resolved, That we urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to 
     implement physical separation immediately through lock 
     closure should Asian carp pose an imminent threat of passing 
     through the Brandon Road Lock; and be it further
       Resolved, That we call upon commercial navigation 
     industries to identify practices to reduce the risk of AIS 
     transfer that can be instituted on an escalating pace 
     commensurate with the advance of Asian carp toward Lake 
     Michigan; and be it further
       Resolved, That we urge the United States Department of 
     Transportation to study and evaluate the current and future 
     infrastructure needs in the affected region to ensure the 
     continued flow of commerce in and out of the region; and be 
     it further
       Resolved, That we call for the assembly of a consensus-
     building body of state and federal agencies, industries, 
     regional commissions, and nongovernmental organizations to 
     negotiate terms of hydrologic separation of

[[Page S1584]]

     the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins even while 
     planning for interim measures are underway; and be it further
       Resolved, That we request that Congress call upon the U.S. 
     Fish and Wildlife Service to provide a lead role in 
     accomplishing these goals and coordinating efforts of the 
     U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies 
     through the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework and the 
     national control plan for Asian carp; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, the President of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 
     of Representatives, the members of the Michigan congressional 
     delegation, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of 
     the Interior, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps 
     of Engineers, the Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of 
     Engineers--Chicago District, and the Asian Carp Regional 
     Coordinating Committee.

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