Michigan Sues Illinois Over Carp Invasion

Another interstate battle over Great Lakes protection has seen its first salvo: Michigan — a large part of whose economy depends on the health of Lake Michigan fish — is now pursuing legal action force Illinois to close the Chicago-area canals where Asian carp were recently discovered. “‘This is an environmental and economic emergency,’ Nick De Leeuw, a spokesman for [Michigan Attorney General Mike] Cox, said of the potential damage the carp could inflict throughout the lakes. ‘It’s almost like a bad science fiction movie.’ In his legal filings, Mr. Cox called for an injunction to close locks immediately, but he is also seeking, ultimately, to separate the Mississippi River system from the Great Lakes entirely.” Monica Davey in The New York Times.
Meanwhile business lobbyist groups have begun organizing to fight the closures. “Opponents of any closure warn the move could inflate prices for agricultural commodities and other goods, including materials used in infrastructure projects tied to the federal stimulus package.” Doug Cameron and Bob Tita in The Wall Street Journal.