Lemont, IL– U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13) today welcomed the new Chicago Commander for the Army Corps of Engineers, Colonel Frederic A. Drummond Jr., to the 13^th Congressional District, to meet with area waterway operators regarding efforts to combat the migration of invasive Asian carp.  The meeting took place at Illinois Marine Towing, a growing barge transport company in Lemont.

             “For more than a decade, I’ve been working with my colleagues in the delegation, our environmental managers, and private stakeholders to keep the invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan,” said Biggert.  “It’s been an all-hands-on-deck operation to implement scientific solutions like the electric barriers in Romeoville and ongoing fish kill operations.  Thanks in part to this teamwork, a recent four-day search for Asian carp in Lake Calumet came up empty.  Today’s meeting with Colonel Drummond allowed everyone a chance to get to know our newest leader in the fight to safeguard the Great Lakes, and an opportunity for our local businesses to provide their input.”

           More than a dozen waterway operators and those who work with river carriers and passenger vessels attended the meeting to discuss the effectiveness and economic impact of current anti-carp measures. 

             Continued Biggert, “In the past, lawmakers from other states have attempted to force closure of Chicago’s waterways in a misguided and scientifically-flawed effort to stop the fish.  But closure would have been devastating to local jobs and the economy.  That’s why it’s so important for Colonel Drummond to hear from local businesses and waterway workers who understand the importance of protecting our waterways – both economically and ecologically.  I’m grateful to Colonel Drummond for taking the time to meet with us, and I’m sure that this is just one of many projects we’ll be working on together in the future.”   

            "I feel fortunate serving the nation and this region as the Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District. I look forward to working with Representative Biggert, business and community leaders on such vital national and local projects as the electric barriers and the Orland Tract restoration project," said Colonel Drummond.

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