Traverse City— The U.S. House rejected a proposal Thursday to force the closure of Chicago-area shipping locks that could provide an opening to the Great Lakes for voracious Asian carp, a potential threat to native fish species and the region's economy.
By a vote of 292-137, lawmakers defeated a budget bill amendment offered by Republican Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan that would have denied funding to the Army Corps of Engineers to open the two navigational structures. Opponents argued successfully that the locks were vital to commerce and closing them wouldn't necessarily prevent the unwanted carp from reaching Lake Michigan.
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During debate on his proposed amendment, Camp said closing the locks was "the single most important step we can take to prevent these species from entering the Great Lakes." He accused opponents of exaggerating the potential damage to the Chicago economy, which he said would "pale in comparison to the multi-billion-dollar industries that would be wiped out by Asian carp." "Every day of inaction puts the Great Lakes ecosystem, the largest body of fresh water in the world, and 800,000 jobs it sustains at risk," Camp said.
Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, said electric barriers on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal had done a good job of blocking the carp's advance,
even though scientists have reported finding DNA from the carp beyond the devices.
Ed. - emphasis added.
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http://www.detnews.com/article/20110218/POLITICS03/102180400/1409/metro/U.S.-House-rejects-proposal-to-close-Chicago-locks-in-Asian-carp-fight