Senators urge action on Great Lakes carp plan

WASHINGTON — Ohio’s two senators are worried that the federal government is taking too long in finalizing a plan aimed at keeping Asian carp out Lake Erie.

Sens. Rob Portman, R– Ohio and Sherrod Brown, D–Ohio, signed a letter to the acting assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works on Monday protesting delays in the finalization of a report that would provide guidance on how to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. The report was supposed to be released in February, but was been delayed repeatedly and in the letter Monday, the senators worried they were running out of time.

In particular, the group is worried that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will delay implementation of the plan before 2025. “This timeline is particularly concerning given recent findings that demonstrated new ways for Asian carp to enter the Great Lakes,” the senators wrote, saying an 8-pound silver carp was found in the Illinois River 9 miles from Lake Michigan in June.

The letter was signed with other members of the Great Lakes Task Force, a group that includes senators from New York, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. After the report is finalized, the government must begin a public comment period before taking action on it. The senators want the report finalized by January 2019.

Work on the Brandon Road Study, as it’s called, began in April 2015 after scientists identified the Brandon Road Lock & Dam near Joliet, Illinois, as a location to control the movement of Asian carp into the Great Lakes.

Asian carp, an invasive species, take over the ecosystems they inhabit, and studies indicate that should Asian carp enter the Great Lakes, it would result in a one-third reduction of total fish weight in Lake Erie — a potentially devastating impact on the $7 billion a year fishing industry and $16 billion per year recreational boating industry.

On the House side, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, is similarly concerned, writing a letter back in March worrying about the slow pace of the study. Kaptur and House colleagues are preparing a similar letter to the Trump administration, echoing the senators’ worries that no action on the report will be taken until 2025, according to her spokesman.