Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is offering qualified support of a federal plan to prevent invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes. Whitmer submitted comments this week on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to install fish-blocking devices at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. The Corps is preparing a report to Congress proposing use of technologies such as noisemakers and a water-flushing lock at Brandon Road, a key choke point between the carp-infested Illinois River and Lake Michigan.
Whitmer said she agreed with fortifying the lock and dam but was concerned about a recent spike in the price tag, now estimated at $778 million. Department of Natural Resources Director Daniel Eichinger urged a quicker timetable for the project and design changes that might reduce costs.
