Big fish, big politics
Asian carp are getting closer and closer to Lake Michigan, there is no doubt about that. Monday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinal article by Dan Egan stipulated that DNA samples taken in recent weeks reveal that the carp have apparently infested another waterway just below the shores of the Big Lake.
These big fish could cause big trouble for the Great Lakes, wreaking havoc on the whole ecosystem and decimating fisheries. No one disagrees that it is imperative to keep the Asian carp out of the Lakes. The disagreement lies in how...and how much we are willing to spend.
Now it's big politics, with everyone from US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Attorney General Mike Cox (R-MI...and candidate for governor) to President Obama weighing in on the subject. Can big fish and big politics result in big, effective action?
Six states and the Province of Ontario are now involved in the lawsuit spearheaded by Michigan, and the Supreme Court is scheduled to review the case this Friday. Currently the state of Illinois, backed by the Obama administration, is facing off against Michigan and friends. Michigan wants the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal permanently closed in order to keep the carp and other invasives from entering the Great Lakes. Illinois argues that closing the canal would do irreparable economic harm to the barge shipping industry in the state.
The insatiable and decidedly unattractive carp has become a politically divisive figure. Already, President Obama has been accused of political pandering for siding with Illinois, and Mike Cox is being hailed as a great environmental advocate for filing the lawsuit against Illinois. An article in the Detroit Free Press last weekend suggested that if Cox were to succeed in his efforts to keep the carp out of the lakes, he would be remembered alongside former Governor William Milliken as one of the greatest environmentalists in Michigan history.
But this assessment was made just days after Cox appeared before a crowd in Midland, MI and advocated for more coal-based energy production, not exactly the position of most environmentalists in the state. If Cox is successful in closing the locks in Chicago, it will be incredibly beneficial to the health of the Great Lakes. And the media attention surrounding the lawsuit could also be incredibly beneficial to his gubernatorial campaign…
As this plays out, we are keeping our fingers crossed that our leaders don’t let their political aspirations take precedence over the health and protection of our incomparable Great Lakes.
