Representative Tom Petri reports that legislation already approved by the Senate is due on the floor of the House of Representatives to explicitly ban the importation of Asian carp.
"It's no exaggeration to say the issue of Asian carp entry into the Great Lakes is one that has raised great fears on the part of Wisconsin and other Great Lakes states. The carp population could disrupt the fundamental ecology of the Great Lakes, resulting in tremendous economic damage, particularly to our fishing industry," Petri said.
"We are working to prevent wild Asian carp from getting into Lake Michigan through the Chicago ship canal, and it makes sense to take further measures to keep this invasive, damaging species out. With our human ingenuity and know-how, we should be able to outsmart the fish," he said.
If the bill is approved in the House, it will go directly to the President for his signature.
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To hear an audio version of Petri's remarks, please click here. The full text of Rep. Petri's comments follows:
This week I expect the House of Representatives to approve Senate bill S. 1421, the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act, which will explicitly ban the importation of Asian carp. This is the Senate version of the House bill H.R. 3173, which I have cosponsored. The bill has already passed the Senate, so if it passes the House, it will go straight to the President for his signature.
It's no exaggeration to say the issue of Asian carp entry into the Great Lakes is one that has raised great fears on the part of Wisconsin and other Great Lakes states. The carp population could disrupt the fundamental ecology of the Great Lakes, resulting in tremendous economic damage, particularly to our fishing industry.
We are working to prevent wild Asian carp from getting into Lake Michigan through the Chicago ship canal, and it makes sense to take further measures to keep this invasive, damaging species out. With our human ingenuity and know-how, we should be able to outsmart the fish.
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