Legislation will allow Army Corps to fight Great Lakes invader, Ehlers says

      House members voted 377-36 to approve the language as part of the District of Columbia Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2005 conference report (H.R. 4850). The legislation still requires approval by the U.S. Senate, which is expected to act on the bill this week.

      The legislation authorizes the Army Corps to spend $6,825,000 in federal funds and a non-federal cost of $2,275,000 to complete construction of a permanent electric dispersal barrier to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species such as the Asian Carp through the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal in Illinois, the only link between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. The project also will provide a critical, redundant barrier that will be a failsafe in case the first barrier fails.

      "Getting these barriers completed and online is critical to the protection of the Great Lakes ecosystem," said Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids. "We cannot afford to have another infestation that could damage the Great Lakes as much as, or even worse than, the zebra mussel."

      Ehlers noted that Asian Carp, which have already infiltrated the Mississippi River watershed, compete with native species for food, living space, and spawning areas. These invasive fish grow to between 50 and 150 pounds, eat up to 40 percent of their body weight every day, and each female can carry up to a million eggs. If the Asian Carp reach Lake Michigan and multiply in numbers, environmentalists say they could devastate the ecosystem of the Great Lakes, ruin sports fishing and endanger the multi-billion dollar commercial fishing industry.

      Construction of a new, permanent barrier began in the spring of 2004. The project was authorized at $5 million from federal funds and $1.7 million in a state match. Unfortunately, the Corps currently may not spend more than $5 million in federal funds on the project. This legislation approved Wednesday would authorize the Corps to spend the projected full cost of the project.

      In 2002, the Corps constructed a temporary experimental barrier, but it is designed to last only three to four years and is rapidly approaching the end of its useful life. The temporary electric dispersal barrier is insufficient to protect the Great Lakes from the Asian carp, and redundancy is critically important, Ehlers said.

      "With this new authority, I am hopeful that the Corps will be able to move quickly in completing construction of the new, permanent barrier," Ehlers said. "It is essential for the preservation of the entire Great Lakes ecosystem."