Alliance for the Great Lakes - American Rivers - Bad River Watershed Association - BaySail - Bluestem Communications - Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper - Clean Water Action - Clean Water Action of Minnesota - Detroit Riverkeeper - Environmental Law & Policy Center - Freshwater Future - Friends of Pool 2 - Friends of the St. Joe River Association - Genesee Valley Audubon Society - Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition - Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters–USA–JPIC - Hoosier Environmental Council - Illinois Council of Trout Unlimited - Indiana Wildlife Federation - Izaak Walton League of America - Izaak Walton League of America, Headwaters Chapter - Izaak Walton League of America, National Great Lakes Committee - Kentucky Waterways Alliance - Lake Erie Foundation - Michigan Wildlife Conservancy - Milwaukee Riverkeeper - Minnesota Conservation Federation - Minnesota Division, Izaak Walton League of America - Minnesota Lakes and River Advocates - National Wildlife Federation - Natural Resources Defense Council - Nature Abounds - Ohio Environmental Council - Prairie Rivers Network - Religious Coalition for the Great Lakes - Save the River - Schlitz Audubon Nature Center - Sierra Club - Tennessee Clean Water Network - Tipp of the Mitt Watershed Council - Wastewater Education 501(c)3 - The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay - The Wetlands Initiative - Wisconsin Trout Unlimited - Wisconsin Wildlife Federation
March 23, 2017
Mr. President:
On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Great Lakes and Mississippi River advocates that our organizations represent, we write today to ask that you immediately release the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Brandon Road Tentatively Selected Plan. This plan seeks to provide options to reduce the risk of Asian carp from entering and decimating the Great Lakes.
Asian carp are a widely recognized threat to the Great Lakes. Our regions have spent years developing plans to stop Asian carp from adversely impacting the Great Lakes economy, and any further delay in advancing plans could allow carp to continue their movement towards the Great Lakes. The Brandon Road study is one piece of a comprehensive approach needed to stop Asian carp. The study is assessing the viability of establishing a control point at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam to protect against the one-way, upstream transfer of aquatic invasive species (AIS) like Asian carp from the Mississippi River into the Great Lakes. In addition to providing stronger protections against Asian carp, technologies to be evaluated at Brandon Road could be critical for subsequent efforts to stop dozens of AIS poised to move into the Mississippi River region.
The Corps was ready to release its Tentatively Selected Plan for Brandon Road on February 28, 2017. However, the Corps recently announced that the release of the draft study was being deferred “pending further coordination” with government officials and other groups. We strongly disagree with this deferral since the Corps has been coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders for years on Brandon Road and all other aspects of the region’s Asian carp defense.
Completing this study without delay has been a priority since 2015, when the Chicago Area Waterway System Advisory Committee, which includes organizations like the American Waterway Operators, the Great Lakes Commission, and dozens of other stakeholder groups representing commercial, recreational, and environmental interests from both the Great Lakes and Mississippi River regions, wrote the President asking him to provide all the necessary resources to the Brandon Road study so it could be completed “as quickly as possible.” The August 31, 2015, letter further states:
“Given the challenges and lengthy timeframe associated with a long-term solution for two-way inter-basin transfer, advancing work at Brandon Road should be one of the Corps’ top priorities for achieving greater protection from AIS in the near term. Not only is Brandon Road an important control point for the movement of AIS such as Asian Carp [sic], it also presents an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of control technologies and how to ensure their compatibility with transportation, the natural environment, and other important factors on the waterway.” (Letter attached)
The Corps’ recent decision to delay progress on this important project is unacceptable. We ask that you contact the Corps immediately and demand the release of the Tentatively Selected Plan for Brandon Road, so that the region does not lose any more time protecting the Great Lakes from Asian carp.
Sincerely,
Alliance for the Great Lakes
American Rivers
Bad River Watershed Association
BaySail
Bluestem Communications
Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper
Clean Water Action
Clean Water Action of Minnesota
Detroit Riverkeeper
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Freshwater Future
Friends of Pool 2
Friends of the St. Joe River Association
Genesee Valley Audubon Society
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters – USA – JPIC Hoosier Environmental Council
Illinois Council of Trout Unlimited
Indiana Wildlife Federation
Izaak Walton League of America
Izaak Walton League of America, Headwaters Chapter
Izaak Walton League of America, National Great Lakes Committee
Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Lake Erie Foundation
Michigan Wildlife Conservancy
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Minnesota Conservation Federation
Minnesota Division, Izaak Walton League of America
Minnesota Lakes and River Advocates
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council Nature Abounds
Ohio Environmental Council Prairie Rivers Network
Religious Coalition for the Great Lakes Save the River
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Sierra Club
Tennessee Clean Water Network
Tipp of the Mitt Watershed Council Wastewater Education 501(c)3
The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay The Wetlands Initiative
Wisconsin Trout Unlimited
Wisconsin Wildlife Federation
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