Chicago, IL (April 29, 2022) – Earlier today the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released its version of the Water Resource and Development Act (WRDA). In reaction, the Alliance for the Great Lakes released the following statement from Molly Flanagan, the Alliance’s Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Programs:
“The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released its version of the Water Resource and Development Act (WRDA) today. The bill adjusts the federal cost share for construction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Brandon Road Lock and Dam project in Joliet, Illinois to 90 percent. This change reflects the importance of the Brandon Road project to ensure invasive carp stay out of Lake Michigan. The Corps—in partnership with Illinois, Michigan and the other Great Lakes states—has already made significant progress in designing innovative technological measures at Brandon Road, which is the choke point for invasive carp traveling from the Mississippi River Basin into the Great Lakes.
However, more still needs to be done. We urge Great Lakes Members of Congress to change the federal cost share to 100 percent in order to ensure the project proceeds to construction without delay. The Alliance for the Great Lakes looks forward to working with our partners in Congress so that the entire country benefits from the new technologies the Corps is implementing as part of this project.”
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Media Contact: Jennifer Caddick, jcaddick@greatlakes.org