CHICAGO – The following statement can be attributed to Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, Chairman of the Illinois River Coordinating Council, on the public release of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Brandon Road Tentatively Selected Plan.
“No one has a bigger stake in the fight to keep Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species out of the Great Lakes than the State of Illinois. Our lake is our treasure, and we will continue to fight to protect it.
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In partnership with local, state and federal Great Lakes stakeholders, Illinois has successfully coordinated strategies to keep the leading edge of Asian carp migration the same place it has been since 1991, near Dresden Island, south of Joliet. Science tells us our comprehensive strategy is working.
This new approach is neither cost effective nor environmentally sound.
Today’s report recommends the construction of a $275.4 million project, of which Illinois taxpayers would be on the hook for over $95 million in construction cost and another $8 million in annual operation and maintenance costs. This project will hurt our economy and the commercial navigation industry that moves over $28 billion of commodities annually through the Chicago Area Waterway System and along the Illinois River. Furthermore, this project at Brandon Road will separate the Des Plaines River and Illinois River ecosystems, disrupting native fish migration patterns.
Illinois will continue to work with the Army Corps of Engineers and stakeholders in support of a science-based strategy that not only keeps Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, but also protects our taxpayers, our economy and our ecosystems.”
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