Detroit Free Press: Trump signs memo to keep Asian carp out of Great Lakes

President Donald Trump on May 9 signed a memorandum ordering his administration to "expeditiously implement the most effective mechanisms, barriers and other measures" to keep invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, following through on a commitment he made to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the Oval Office a month earlier.

The memorandum recognized the threat posed to the Great Lakes by the voracious nonnative species should it reach Lake Michigan and also urged the state of Illinois to move on its part of a project to stop the carp at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, a key choke point along the Des Plaines River near Joliet, which has been sought for nearly a decade.

Michigan, Illinois and the federal government are partners to the Brandon Road project, but earlier this year, Illinois officials halted their efforts, first wanting assurances from the Trump administration that a $1.1 billion commitment to the project would be kept. After Trump entered office on Jan. 20, he signed a set of orders suspending funding for certain projects and programs across the U.S.

The memo doesn't specifically promise any new funding but it does say the federal government will make sure the project moves forward "through deadline-oriented investments of taxpayer dollars, to ensure the state of Illinois does not stand in the way of its construction," presumably meaning it will meet that earlier commitment. And it instructs the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Fish and Wildlife Service to work toward keeping Asian carp out of the Lakes.

Whitmer and Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, visited Trump in the Oval Office on April 9 and asked him to help them get the Brandon Road project on track. For more than a decade, environmentalists and state officials clamored for help in blocking the invasive species of Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan, with worries they would spread from there throughout the Great Lakes and decimate the local fish populations.

Talked about since 2014 or earlier, in 2019, the Army Corps of Engineers signed off on a $778 million proposal to stop the spread of Asian carp at Brandon Road with air bubbles, electric shocks and noise, but required congressional funding to move forward. In his memo, Trump said the federal government has already provided $274 million and done design work and site preparation but still needs Illinois to acquire nearly properties and expedite permit approvals for the project.

By issuing the memo, Trump not only committed his administration to funding the project but prioritized it in a way far more publicly than his predecessors.

"Curbing this threat requires immediate and effective deployment of resources, infrastructure and expertise. The federal government is prepared to do its part, but the states where preventative measures can be taken must cooperate," the memo read.

"For several decades, invasive species of Asian carp have steadily migrated and expanded from the Southeast northward through streams, rivers, and lakes in the Mississippi River and Midwest region. ... These invasive carp are nearing the entry point to the Great Lakes, which, if breached, would irreparably damage native fish species like walleye, yellow perch, and lake whitefish. This poses a significant risk to Great Lakes fishing, boating, recreation, and tourism, which support tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of commerce annually," the memo read.

"My administration fully supports preventing the spread of invasive carp," the memo continued. "The state of Illinois, where the Brandon Road Interbasin Project is located, must cease further delay in cooperating with this effort, for the sake of its own citizens and economy and for the sake of all of the Great Lakes states." He called on Illinois to have the property in hand by July 1 of this year and expedite any necessary permits.

Given that Whitmer, a Democrat who political pundits consider a potential candidate for president in 2028, took heat from some in her party for appearing in the Oval Office with Trump — and at one point briefly shielded her face with folders as photos were taken — she can claim the visit an enormous success: Not only did Trump follow through on a promise to help the Asian carp barrier project, he also visited Michigan just over a week ago to announce that, with the governor's urging, Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County would get a fighter mission in the coming years, something it has been pursuing for years.

At the Oval Office meeting, Trump, who has previously been a sharp critic of Whitmer's, praised her, saying she's been doing "an excellent job." For her part, Whitmer, who campaigned for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race last year, has said she must work with the Republican president to do right by Michigan while also voicing concerns about policies she disagrees with like the widespread use of tariffs or the possibility of slashing Medicaid.

"Today, Michigan scored another huge win that will protect our Great Lakes and secure our economy," Whitmer said, calling the Brandon Road project "a game-changing" one for protecting the Great Lakes from the spread of the species commonly referred to as Asian carp, which have been seen leaping prodigiously out of the water and can reach 60 pounds and eat up to 40% of their weight per day.

"(We) now have renewed assurances from the administration to move forward expeditiously on the Brandon Road (project). I am grateful to the president for his commitment," she said. "Michigan continues to win because we show up, talk to anyone, and work together to get things done," she added.

Republican members of Michigan's congressional delegation noted they had asked Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to move on the project after the delay. "The Great Lakes are a national treasure, offering many recreational opportunities and supporting a multibillion dollar fishing industry," said U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton. "By advancing construction of the Brandon Road project, President Trump is delivering on his promises and preserving the future of the Great Lakes ecosystem and our economy."