Governor Whitmer Supports Efforts To Prevent Carp Invasion

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is offering qualified support of a federal plan to prevent invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.

Whitmer submitted comments this week on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to install fish-blocking devices at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois.

The Corps is preparing a report to Congress proposing use of technologies such as noisemakers and a water-flushing lock at Brandon Road, a key choke point between the carp-infested Illinois River and Lake Michigan.

Whitmer said she agreed with fortifying the lock and dam but was concerned about a recent spike in the price tag, now estimated at $778 million.

Department of Natural Resources Director Daniel Eichinger urged a quicker timetable for the project and design changes that might reduce costs.

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