WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The Obama administration has come out against a proposal to close down the locks connecting the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan.
Solicitor General Elena Kagan told the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday that the plan, which is designed to keep the invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, would impede commerce and endanger public safety.
The State of Michigan, with the support of many of its neighboring states and the Canadian province of Ontario, filed a lawsuit last month to force the shut down the Chicago-area locks to prevent the carp from destroying native fish populations and the sport-fishing industry.
Opponents say closing the Chicago locks would halt the flow of freight through the area.
The Detroit Free Press said Wednesday that the carp has been working its way up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers for several decades and have recently made into the Chicago area.
