Illinois presses pause on ‘critical' invasive carp project, cites federal funding concerns

Yahoo

13-03-2025

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Progress on the is once again at a stalemate, and several local lawmakers are calling on state officials in Illinois to help end delays for the project.
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The issued a statement to that effect earlier this week. The task force is comprised of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, including U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Ypsilanti, and Bill Huizenga, R-Holland.
'As Co-Chairs of the Great Lakes Task Force, we urge the state of Illinois to promptly sign the necessary documents and end further delays in the critical ecosystem protection construction at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam,' . 'This project is essential to prevent the spread of invasive carp throughout the Great Lakes. … Failing to do so puts the future of the Great Lakes ecosystem — and the multi-trillion-dollar economy it supports — at serious risk.'
The renovations at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam would prevent invasive carp from making their way from the Chicago Area Waterway System into Lake Michigan. The project has been studied and discussed for more than a decade. Illinois, Michigan and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last July after years of negotiations.
However, officials in Illinois have once again pressed pause over concerns that President Donald Trump will scale back federal funding.
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A spokesperson for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker that the governor 'agrees this project is critical to the Great Lakes,' but says he is concerned with the White House's recent trend of slashing federal funding.
Pritzker claims the White House has withheld $117 million in federal grants from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, forcing it to freeze contracts and put nearly 70 other projects on hold.
'Until then, Gov. Pritzker must protect Illinois taxpayers from burdening the liability of the federal government not following through on their promises,' the spokesperson said. 'We cannot move forward until the Trump administration provides more certainty and clarity on whether they will follow the law and deliver infrastructure funds we were promised.'
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As it stands now, the USACE is set to contribute $226 million toward the $1.14 billion project, using funds approved in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill. Michigan had agreed to contribute $64 million in funding, and Illinois would provide $50 million.
As costly as the project may be, the threat of invasive carp could cost even more. — formerly known as Asian carp and also called — are considered a major threat to the Great Lakes because they could upend the natural ecosystem. They are voracious eaters and would devour the food sources for several popular Great Lakes fish, including walleye and rainbow trout, key players in the region's fishing industry.
Invasive carp were used as a tool in the 1970s, controlling algae, weed and parasite growth on aquatic farms. But the fish eventually made their way into the Mississippi River basin and now dominate that ecosystem.
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has worked with environmental agencies for years to monitor the fish in the Mississippi River basin and ensure they don't make it to the Great Lakes. The two systems only have one permanent connection point — the Chicago-Area Waterway System.
There are already multiple tools in place at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam to target invasive carp, including an electric barrier that costs Illinois taxpayers approximately $15 million each year.
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