Trump memo seeks to protect Great Lakes from invasive carp, backs barrier project

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday is expected to sign a memorandum directing his administration to take steps to block invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes, signaling support for a construction project in Illinois that would install barriers to prevent the carp from infiltrating Lake Michigan.

In a fact sheet provided first to The Detroit News, a White House official said the memorandum directs the administration to "expeditiously implement the most effective mechanisms, barriers, and other measures to prevent the migration and expansion of invasive carp in the Great Lakes Basin and the surrounding region."

The memorandum explicitly expresses support for a $1.15 billion project at the Brandon Road Lock & Dam in Joliet, Illinois, that would install several methods to serve as a barrier to the carp, "provided that the State of Illinois does not stand in the way of its construction."

The swipe at Illinois comes several months after Illinois postponed signing paperwork with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for land acquisition that's needed to proceed with the project's construction, after Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker cited the uncertainty of funding from the Trump administration.

Pritzker's office at the time indicated it was seeking written reassurances from the Trump administration that the federal government would "uphold their end of the bargain" after officials froze hundreds of millions in federal funding promised to the state for various projects following Trump's inauguration.

The director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on Feb. 10 postponed a closing in which the state was scheduled to acquire title and authorize the U.S. government to access the land rights needed for the first part of the project.

"I have a responsibility to protect Illinois taxpayers," Pritzker said in a February statement. "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."

Trump's memorandum demands that Illinois "must cease further delay in cooperating with this effort, for the sake of its own citizens and economy and for the sake of all of the Great Lakes states."

The memorandum states that Illinois should acquire the necessary land to begin construction by July 1, and that the state and any relevant localities should swiftly grant permits or approvals required for Army Corps construction.

Trump also wants states and localities to "streamline" all permitting and environmental reviews to the maximum degree, as he is directing federal agency heads to similarly streamline any permitting and environmental reviews or approvals for the project "as quickly as possible."

Trump's memorandum also instructs the Environmental Protection Agency to prioritize infrastructure projects to remove invasive carp from the Upper Illinois Waterway near Lake Michigan and to maintain existing barriers to prevent their entry into the Great Lakes Basin, according to the fact sheet.

The memo also tasks National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prioritize research and management for the prevention, removal and control of invasive carp and other aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office has said she raised the threat of Asian carp to the Great Lakes and the need to fund the Brandon Road project in meetings with Trump this year, and Trump brought up the topic during a news conference in the Oval Office a month ago.

"We're also working on a certain fish that's taken over a beautiful lake called Michigan, right? And that's a tough one," Trump said in the Oval Office, calling them "powerful" fish.

"They jump out of the water. They jump at the fishermen. I mean, I've never seen anything like it."

Trump at the time said he'd spoken with the Army Corps and noted they have a "pretty gruesome method" for blocking the fish, even if it's "expensive."

Trump also thanked Whitmer for bringing the matter to his attention.

"It's sort of a bipartisan thing. When you get it right down there, it's a very expensive thing," Trump said. "I said, 'Well, but we have to save Lake Michigan.' Because these fish ― they eat everything in the way, including the other fish. They eat everything."

Michigan and Illinois officials had reached an agreement with the Army Corps last year to move forward on construction of the project at Brandon Road. The agreement allows $274 million in federal funding and $114 million in state funding to be used for the construction of the first three phases of the project. Almost all of the federal appropriation comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed under President Joe Biden.

The project near Joliet is the result of over 10 years of study and planning by the Army Corps to prevent Asian carp from traveling beyond the Brandon Road lock and dam, which is 286 miles above the confluence of the Illinois River and the Mississippi River.

The location is considered a choke point in the fight against invasive species reaching Great Lakes waterways, where scientists say the fish would pose a significant threat to the region’s native species and aquatic ecosystems.

The Brandon Road plans involve building a series of mechanisms to block carp from traveling from the Mississippi River watershed to Lake Michigan, including an electric barrier; underwater sounds and an air bubble "curtain" that deter fish; a barge clearing device that makes sure fish don't sneak through; pesticides; upstream fishing; and other methods. It is expected to take six to eight years to complete.

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