Rep. Garey Bies’ Notes from the West Wing: A Fishy Smell from Washington
Posted on 08. Jan, 2010 by Garey Bies in News
Good afternoon to the people of the First Assembly District. It’s been a cold week in Madison and the news from Washington added to the chill.
The growing momentum behind our effort to prevent invasive Asian Carp from entering Lake Michigan got a cold shoulder from the Obama Administration this week when U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court opposing the lawsuit.
Last week Attorney General Van Hollen added Wisconsin to the growing list of states from Minnesota to New York backing a lawsuit filed by the State of Michigan. The suit seeks to close the locks on the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal to keep the invasive carp from gaining access to the Great Lakes. The lawsuit was filed as the outcry from state and federal officials to close the locks seems to be falling on deaf ears.
Congressmen and Senators from both parties along with environmental groups like the National Wildlife Federation have been calling for swift action by the State of Illinois and the Army Corps of Engineers to close the locks, at least temporarily, to make sure the carp do not gain a foothold in the Great Lakes.
The partisan politics in Madison stink sometimes, but the brief filed by Kagan on behalf of the Obama Administration has an even worse smell – old fashioned Chicago politics. The administration appears to be willing to play Russian roulette with the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem and a $7 billion dollar fishing industry (not to mention all the waterways connected to the Great Lakes) in order to protect the short term financial interests of the Chicago shipping industry.
The position taken by Illinois and Kagan in the lawsuit is essentially that even though DNA from the carp has been found beyond the electronic barrier that is supposed to keep them from spreading, they’re not sure the barrier is failing.
Closing the barn doors after the horses are out of the barn is pointless. Refusing to close the locks until we’re sure these fish have entered the Great Lakes would be inexcusable! Despite this setback, I will continue to pursue every option available to prevent this highly destructive species from entering the Great Lakes.
As always, I can be reached by e-mail at Rep.Bies@legis.wisconsin.gov or by telephone, toll-free at 1-888-482-0001. You can also visit my website at http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm01/news/.
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