Take That! Feds' Plan Puts $50M into Asian Carp Fight

President Obama and Congress are getting set to throw millions of dollars into the effort to stop Asian carp from invading the Mississippi River and Great Lakes, according to an Associated Press article posted at minnesota.publicradio.org: 


"The Obama administration made improving its network of barriers a primary focus of an updated blueprint for keeping bighead and silver carp from reaching the five inland seas, even as they continue infesting the Mississippi River and many of its tributaries. The Associated Press obtained an outline of the government's $50 million plan ahead of its official release later Wednesday. ...


"With this year's spending, the administration will have devoted $200 million over four years to keep the Great Lakes carp-free. But many state officials and advocacy groups contend that the only sure way to prevent invasive species from migrating between the lakes and the Mississippi system is to build dams or other structures near Chicago, where a man-made canal links the two giant watersheds by forming a pathway between Lake Michigan and the Illinois River."


According to a statement from U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN) office: 


"Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) will testify in front of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs on Thursday morning on the Upper Mississippi Conservation and River Protection (CARP) Act of 2013 (H.R. 709), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Army to take actions to manage the threat of Asian carp traveling up the Mississippi River in Minnesota."


Related:

• Study: Asian Carp DNA Found near Mendota, Inver Grove
• McCollum Bill to Fight Asian Carp Reintroduced           
• Mississippi River Residents Organize, Asian Carp Spotters Wanted