Environmental officials have long feared the specter of the invasive carp in the Great Lakes.
The 60-pound fish can eat almost half their weight in a single day...and could devastate the lakes’ ecosystem.
Now Trump has signed a memo that encourages Illinois to complete a barrier to the carp entering Lake Michigan, something state officials there had halted until they were certain the federal government would fund its portion of the project.
While Trump’s memo does not guarantee any new funding, it does say the U.S. government will work to keep the invasive fish away from the lakes.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and State House Speaker Matt Hall raised the issue during a recent meeting with Trump.
Whitmer calls Trump’s directive a “huge win” for both the Great Lakes and Michigan’s economy.
