Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner declined an offer $8 million to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp. Governor Snyder offered the funds to support construction of high-tech, anti-carp features at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet, Illinois.
It would have an engineered channel with a flushing lock, an acoustic fish deterrent, and an electric barrier system to keep the carp from moving upstream. The proposed project is described in a report released by the Army Corps of Engineers last month.
Rauner says that he doesn't want the funds for the Brandon Road project, because they would not be usable until 2028, when the project is completed. He also said given the two governors' lame duck status, it would be inappropriate for them to make a deal binding the state of Illinois to the project. But Rauner said he would accept $8 million from Michigan to support commercial fishing strategies in the Illinois river that could reduce Asian carp risk.
