Walberg, GOP Colleagues to Governor Pritzker: Protect our Great Lakes from Asian Carp

Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-05) partnered with Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-01) and other members of the Michigan Republican Delegation to send a letter to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker calling for him to reverse course on a recent politically charged decision that would jeopardize efforts to keep invasive Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes. The letter highlights that the delay is both unjustified and dangerous to the continued health of our Great Lakes. 

Recently, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker halted the Brandon Road Interbasin Project - a critical piece of infrastructure being built to prevent invasive carp from migrating from the Mississippi River basin into Lake Michigan.

In a hard-hitting letter to Pritzker, the Members of Congress noted, "We write to express our profound dismay at your decision to unilaterally suspend Construction Increment IA of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP), administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Rock Island District. As you know, the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, has been identified as the critical chokepoint for preventing the upstream movement of invasive carp and other nuisance species from the Mississippi River basin into the Great Lakes through the Illinois Waterway. This unnecessary and unfounded obstruction trades responsible governance for partisan grandstanding, putting our Great Lakes, economy, and communities at needless risk."

Additionally, the Members noted that Pritzker's move reflected either a "fundamental misunderstanding or a deliberate disregard" of longstanding federal financial law.

The letter was signed by Congressmen Tim Walberg (MI-05), Jack Bergman (MI-01), John Moolenaar (MI-02), and John James (MI-10). 

You can read the full letter here.