WASHINGTON, March 3 (UPI) -- Illinois' senior U.S. senator has backed a bill to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, giving it a good chance of passage, lawmakers said Thursday.
The measure would require the Army Corps of Engineers to develop a plan for a physical barrier within 18 months, the Detroit Free Press reported. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., who are drafting the bill, said the Corps would have to start work on a barrier as soon as it passes, reporting back to Congress every six months.
Asian carp, a strong and voracious species, got into the Mississippi from fish farms and spread quickly. Experts fear an invasion of the Great Lakes via the Chicago River and shipping canal that would destroy commercial and sports fisheries, the newspaper said.
The battle has pitted other Great Lakes states against Illinois, where officials have been more concerned about keeping commercial shipping moving. Durbin in the past has helped block proposals, backed by Camp and Stabenow, to close the locks in the Chicago River.
Stabenow said the new bill would "light a fire" under the Corps.
"It's going to take them several years and we don't have several years," she said. "We need to get this done as quickly as possible."
