Grothman's Environmental Amendment Passes

Press Release

Congressman Glenn Grothman's (R-Glenbeulah) amendment to H.R. 2, House Democrats' partisan infrastructure bill, was accepted and passed along with the legislation today. Grothman's amendment did not add to the total amount of money authorized to be spent by this bill.

Grothman's amendment, previously introduced as a bipartisan bill with Congressman Mark Pocan (D-Madison), will help keep Wisconsin's lakes healthy by restricting the access of invasive fish populations, like Asian carp. This amendment will amend the Federal Power Act to allow the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Interior to consider the threats posed by invasive species before mandating a new fish passageway be built through a dam.

Fish passageways serve an important purpose of preserving and enhancing the populations of desirable, native fish by allowing them a way to travel around dams. However, invasive species use these same passageways to invade rivers and lakes and devastate native species and their habitats.

The state of Wisconsin is currently experiencing this problem. The Fish and Wildlife Service has ordered the installation of a fish passageway at the Prairie du Sac dam. Asian carp have been found at the base of this dam. There are four species of invasive Asian carp in America, the bighead carp, black carp, grass carp and silver carp. In 2009, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that a 92-pound bighead carp was caught in Illinois. Installing a fish passageway in Prairie du Sac would allow the Asian carp to migrate upstream to the Wisconsin River, Lake Wisconsin and eventually the Great Lakes. This would wreak havoc on native species and threaten the Great Lakes $7 billion fishing industry and the 75,000 jobs that depend on it.

"I grew up near the Milwaukee River in Southeastern Wisconsin and know the importance of fish having the ability to move freely to spawn. However, removing dams and creating fish passageways is not always the best option for the overall health of the environment," said Grothman. "Invasive species can have a devastating effect on the environment, public health and the economy. The damage they can cause only gets worse over time, which is why it is becoming increasingly important that we address the issue of invasive species on a case-by-case basis. Other provisions in this bill authorized spending that would add too much to our growing national debt, which is why I could not in good conscience vote for it. I was glad, however, that Democratic leadership was willing to work on this amendment with me in a bipartisan manner to help protect the Great Lakes and other precious natural resources."

Grothman also spoke on the House floor about his amendment, which can be viewed by clicking here.

Source