Asian carp plan killed

Suburban lawmakers are praising a U.S. House vote rejecting a proposal to shut down the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal in hopes of stopping Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan.

“It’s a great relief that we were able to defeat this amendment,” said U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, a Hinsdale Republican.

Chicago-area lawmakers have been working against the proposal, but also have been working on other possible ways to make sure the invasive fish do not find a way into the lake, since they have essentially killed fishing on some Illinois rivers because they take over the habitat.

But the solution proposed by lawmakers from some nearby states would be a real hit to the economy in the Midwest and the Chicago region, Illinois lawmakers say.

“Its passage would have been devastating to Chicago’s economy and cost thousands of jobs in our region,” Biggert said. “Worse, it would have been an empty gesture against the carp, doing more to kill jobs than slow down fish.”

The proposal to close the Chicago locks would have stopped barge traffic between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and the Great Lakes.

Biggert has been fighting for more than a decade to keep the invasive Asian carp out of Lake Michigan and the rest of the Great Lakes, but she advocates scientific solutions to the problem, not closing the locks.

The amendment in question was sponsored by Rep. Dave Camp, a Michigan Republican, and was defeated by a vote of 137 to 292 on Thursday night.

Joining Biggert on the House floor to fight the amendment were freshmen Republican Reps. Robert Dold of Kenilworth and Adam Kinzinger of Manteno.

“We’re talking about almost $30 billion in commerce that will be affected in my area. It’s too quick. We have to wait, we have to see,” Kinzinger said. “This would be devastating for people in the 11th district, Chicago and the region.”

Currently, electric barriers in the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal hold the Asian carp back from entering Lake Michigan. The Army Corps of Engineers continues to study methods to keep the voracious species, which can grow to be 100 pounds, out of the Great Lakes.

Camp’s amendment was tacked onto a bill to outline the budget for fiscal year 2011, which will move to the Senate for approval. The budget must be passed by March 4 to fund the government and avoid a complete shutdown.