By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
LANSING, MI –
A new report says the Great Lakes should be permanently closed off from the Mississippi River system to prevent Asian Carp from invading the lakes. The report from the Great Lakes Commission makes three suggestions on how the two waterways could be separated, with price tags that range from $3 billion to $9 billion.
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow says it's time to move forward with a plan.
"We all know the numbers; Michigan's tourism industry, including our $7-billion fishing industry, and our $16-billion boating industry, will potentially be severely damaged if the Asian Carp get a real hold on the Great Lakes."
Stabenow says little can be done to close off the Great Lakes until the Army Corps of Engineers releases its recommendations in a few years. Stabenow sponsored a measure in Congress that would order the Corps to release its report in no more than 18 months.