Mich. AG Likens Carp to ‘Nuclear Bombs,’ Asks High Court to Stop Lake Entry
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to force Illinois to close shipping locks to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.
In an effort to resolve the case quickly, Cox is asking the high court to reopen three separate 1929 complaints by Wisconsin, Michigan and New York that contend Illinois improperly diverts water away from Lake Michigan, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
Scientists say carp may be within six miles of Lake Michigan according to the Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune. Neighboring states fear that if the fish gain entry, they will destroy the Great Lakes ecosystem, along with fishing and tourism industries, the Christian Science Monitor says.
An electrical barrier that kept carp away from the lake was taken down for maintenance this month. Officials poisoned a section of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in an effort to keep the fish out while the barrier was down.
In a news conference, Cox likened the fish to “nuclear bombs,” according to the AP story. His lawsuit, filed in the Supreme Court because it handles disputes between the states, names as defendants the state of Illinois, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
Shipping industry representatives say closing the locks would force products to be shipped by truck, increasing costs and forcing the loss of 400 jobs in the barging industry.
