Issue Position: Great Lakes

Issue Position

The Great Lakes are a national treasure, containing 90 percent of the freshwater in the United States. More than 35 million people live in the Great Lakes basin and depend on its natural resources for many vital needs such as drinking water, energy production, and transportation. Furthermore, the Great Lakes provide resources to support millions of jobs, especially in the fishery and boating industries. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nearly $15 billion in recreational activities, including fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching, occur annually in the Great Lakes region.

Rep. Petri is a cosponsor of the Great Lakes Collaboration Act of 2007 which is a comprehensive bill to restore and protect the Great Lakes. It includes provisions aimed at stopping the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species, as well as preventing sewage contamination. It also would establish the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force and Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to improve and coordinate programs.

The migration of invasive species into the Great Lakes threatens to severely damage the aquatic environment and have a negative effect on the industries that depend on the Great Lakes. One of these invasive species is Asian carp, which damages the ecosystem by consuming large quantities of phytoplankton and competing with native fish for habitat. A temporary demonstration barrier in the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal was authorized in 1996 under the National Invasive Species Act to prevent non-native species like the Asian carp from moving between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. Since this barrier was designed to be temporary and is close to the end of its expected service life, a second permanent barrier is currently being constructed. Rep. Petri is an original cosponsor of the Great Lakes Asian Carp Barrier Act that would give the Army Corps of Engineers additional authority and funding to complete construction of a permanent barrier in the canal.

Rep. Petri also supports several other bills, such as the Aquatic Invasive Species Research Act and Asian Carp Prevention Act, that would help prevent the spread of invasive species early and establishing proven techniques to eradicate them.

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