WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the release of a new study today from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) showing that Lake Erie and the Maumee, Sandusky, and Grand Rivers are hospitable environments for Asian carp to establish and reproduce, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today renewed his call to the Obama Administration to do more to prevent such an invasion, including hydrologically separating the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River Basin where Asian carp currently reside.

“This new report demonstrates that Lake Erie and its tributaries are even more vulnerable to an invasion of Asian carp, which would be devastating for the thousands of Ohioans that rely on Lake Erie for its world-class fisheries and boating,” Brown said. “The Administration needs to immediately step up its efforts to prevent a devastating invasion of this species. That’s why I continue to support a physical separation of the Mississippi River basin from the Great Lakes as the best long-term solution to prevent the further spread of Asian carp.”

Brown is a sponsor of the Stop Asian Carp Act, which would direct the Army Corps of Engineers to accelerate a study of the watersheds of the Illinois, Chicago, and Calumet rivers to determine the feasibility and best way to implement hydrologic separation of the rivers from the Great Lakes. The study would address flooding, wastewater, stormwater, and safety concerns. The study would also look at alternative pathways for barge and recreational boating traffic. The bill would also direct the USGS and the Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor and survey the waters of the Great Lakes basin to identify additional threats from Asian Carp, and to identify means of prevention.

In December 2010, the President signed the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act, which adds the bighead carp species of Asian carp to a list of injurious species that are prohibited from being imported or shipped in the United States under the Lacey Act.

In May 2010, Brown visited the University of Toledo's Lake Erie Center to discuss efforts to combat Asian carp, and in December 2009, Brown signed a letter urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address the spread of Asian Carp. He helped pass the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact, which establishes common stewardship goals for the Great Lakes and a common set of rules that will be followed by the eight Great Lakes states. He also fought to include more than $475 million in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget for Great Lakes cleanup, of which nearly $60 million has been devoted to initiatives aimed at preventing an influx of Asian carp.

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