Representative Mike Kelly Sends Bicameral, Bipartisan Letter on Asian Carp to the U.S. Department of the Army

Representative Mike Kelly Sends Bicameral, Bipartisan Letter on Asian Carp to the U.S. Department of the Army

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (PA-03) was among a bipartisan group of 31 Senators and Congressmen who sent a letter last Friday to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), drawing attention to a recently released report that offers expert analysis on ways to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes, which would have devastating effects on the Erie economy and the recreational industries that directly support it.   

The report, titled “Restoring the Natural Divide,” was issued by the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, and offers a variety of engineering options to separate the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basins in the Chicago Area Waterway System to  prevent inter-basin movement of Asian carp and other harmful aquatic invasive species.

The letter asks how the Army Corps of Engineers will use the report’s findings to expedite and shed light on the Corps’ own study on the matter, which is currently under way but not scheduled to conclude until 2015.

A link to the letter is provided below.

In addition to the letter, Rep. Kelly has cosponsored the Stop Asian Carp Act (H.R. 892) as part of his ongoing efforts to address the Asian carp threat in Lake Erie.

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