Five Great Lakes states are waiting to find out if the U.S. Supreme Court will hear their case calling for more decisive measures to keep Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.
Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania filed the request this week.
The states want the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to quickly wrap up its study of how to keep Asian carp from escaping the Mississippi River system through Chicago-area shipping canals. The corps is one of the main agencies responsible for the locks.
John Sellek is the spokesman for Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette.
“What we really want is to have the Army Corps of Engineers speed up their study,” said Sellek.
“They are taking up to five years or longer to look at this and every minute that goes by could be another fish that’s getting through those canals in Chicago, so what we’re requesting is they speed that up to 18 months at the longest.”
The Great Lakes states also want the high court to order the corps to string nets across smaller waterways that could be escape points for the carp.
At the same time, Michigan and 17 states along the Great Lakes or the Mississippi want a total physical separation of the water systems.
