U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Statement on U.S. Army Corps Approval of Plan Preventing Spread of Asian Carp

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement today after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the Brandon Road Study to prevent the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes and protect the Great Lakes fishery, a $7 billion industry.

“I’ve been sounding the alarm for years on the threat Asian carp pose to our Great Lakes, our quality of life in Wisconsin and our freshwater economy. I’ve continued to urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with the Brandon Road Study that would address this enormous threat to our Great Lakes and our economy. Today, the Army Corps approved this plan that will help prevent the spread of Asian carp into our waters. This is a major step forward and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’m going to work to fund this project so we can finally take action and get the job done preventing Asian carp from reaching our Great Lakes.”

In October 2018, Senator Baldwin worked to include a measure in the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that authorizes funding for the critical action plan for blocking Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes. She also secured language in the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2019 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill directing the Army Corps of Engineers to finalize the Brandon Road Study. In 2017, Senator Baldwin was successful in ensuring the draft-version of the Brandon Road Study was released publicly.