Upper Peninsula Congressman Jack Bergman, joined by Michigan GOP colleagues Rep. John Moolenaar, Rep. Tim Walberg, and Rep. John James sent a letter to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker calling for him to reverse course on a recent politically charged decision that would jeopardize efforts to keep invasive Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes.
The letter highlights that the delay is both unjustified and dangerous to the continued health of our Great Lakes.
Recently, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker halted the Brandon Road Interbasin Project – a critical piece of infrastructure being built to prevent invasive carp from migrating from the Mississippi River basin into Lake Michigan.
In a hard-hitting letter to Pritzker, the Members of Congress noted, “We write to express our profound dismay at your decision to unilaterally suspend Construction Increment IA of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP), administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Rock Island District.
As you know, the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, has been identified as the critical chokepoint for preventing the upstream movement of invasive carp and other nuisance species from the Mississippi River basin into the Great Lakes through the Illinois Waterway. This unnecessary and unfounded obstruction trades responsible governance for partisan grandstanding, putting our Great Lakes, economy, and communities at needless risk.”
Additionally, the Members noted that Pritzker’s move reflected either a “fundamental misunderstanding or a deliberate disregard” of longstanding federal financial law. You can read the full letter here.
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