Press Releases

Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga, who serves as Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued the following statement after the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers publicly released its FY 2021 work plan which included $3.8 million for the early stages of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Project. On January 8^th, Huizenga and the House Great Lakes Task Force sent a letter to the Corps requesting $3.8 million be included in their FY 21 work plan for the pre-construction, engineering, and design phase of the Brandon Road Project.

“Protecting the Great Lakes must be a national priority,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga, Co-Chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force. “I am glad to see the Army Corps fulfill this bipartisan request to support early phase funding for the Brandon Road Project. Congress, the Army Corps of Engineers, and stakeholders across the Great Lakes must continue to work together to stop Asian carp from entering the ecosystem. Moving forward with the Brandon Road Project is our best and most responsible way to achieve that goal.”

Earlier this month, the State of Michigan and the State of Illinois announced an intergovernmental agreement that would provide up to an additional $8 million to begin early phase planning and design at Brandon Road. If Asian carp are able to enter the ecosystem, it would likely cause irreversible damage to the ecology as well as the economy of the Great Lakes. Sources of economic activity that would be impacted by Asian carp entering the waterways would include the fishery, tourism, and boating industries as well as the countless residents and small businesses who are dependent on the Great Lakes for their livelihoods.