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Poll: 9 out 10 residents living near Great Lakes want Asian Carp dealt with immediately

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A new poll released today (Tuesday) found that the overwhelming majority of people who live near the Great Lakes support immediate action to prevent Asian Carp from reaching the Great Lakes.

Commissioned by the Great Lakes Partnership to Block Asian Carp, the poll surveyed residents in Ohio, Indiana, Wyoming, Illinois and Michigan to gauge the sense of urgency amongst residents living near the Great Lakes when it comes to the risk of invasive carp.

According to a press release by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, the poll found that more than “9 in 10 respondents from each state believed it was important to immediately increase protections to block the spread of Asian carp to the Great Lakes at the recommendation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.”

Other highlights of the survey include:

  • More than 7 in 10 respondents from each state are likely to support the “fair share” funding proposal given the specific percent their state would be asked to pay.
  • Support rises to more than 8 in 10 respondents likely to support the proposal when told Michigan would pay the share of any state that cannot pay its own portion to block Asian carp.
  • Support for the fair share funding proposal is bipartisan, with more than 8 in 10 Republicans and Democrats in each state supporting their state’s funding contribution.

Molly Flanagan is the Vice President for Policy at the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
“The data really speaks for itself, in terms of demonstrating that people across the Great Lakes region, want the same thing: they want to keep Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes.”

Last year, the US Army Corps of Engineers unveiled a $275 million plan to stop Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes through underwater electronic barriers and complex underwater noise systems.

The plan drew criticism from some who argued that closing the Brandon Road Lock, which connects the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes, is the only permanent solution.

Doing so however, the Corps says, would have a potentially huge economic impact on the barge and shipping industry that transports goods through the Brandon Road Lock.

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