WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)-- A member of Congress from Michigan has introduced a bill that would require separating Lake Michigan from the Mississippi River watershed in the Chicago area to block the path of Asian carp and other invasive species.
Republican U.S. Representative Candice Miller said Wednesday that the measure would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct barriers severing the connection between the two aquatic systems.
The Corps offered two options to accomplish that goal in a report last month.
Business groups in Illinois and Indiana say separation would damage the economy and cause flooding. Miller and other supporters say it's the only sure way to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp.
If enacted, the bill would set a timetable for designing a separation project and beginning construction.
