Casey Urged Army Corps to Hold Public Meeting Earlier This Week / Great Lakes Critical to Northwestern PA’s Economy, Failure to Combat Asian Carp Could Threaten Tourism, Other Critical Industries
Washington, DC – Following a request from U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), the Army Corps of Engineers will hold a public meeting to discuss options for combating invasive Asian Carp on Friday, January 24th from 4-7pm at the Erie County Library, 160 East Front Street, Erie, PA. Casey’s request for further measures to prevent the spread of Asian Carp follows the release of a report from the Army Corps of Engineers concerning methods to combat Asian carp and other invasive species from entering the Great Lakes. Unfortunately, the Army Corps' proposals for projects that could stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes are not yet developed enough to allow work on those projects to begin.
“Combatting Asian Carp is important to Northwestern Pennsylvania’s economy,” Senator Casey said. “I’m hopeful that this public meeting to discuss the options will help the Army Corps to quickly put in place a comprehensive, effective plan. Getting this right will protect the region’s tourism industry and play a substantial role in future economic growth.”
Senator Casey previously sent a letter in November to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) urging the agency to expedite the development of plan to combat Asian Carp in the Great Lakes. In a letter that was joined by 15 other senators, Casey urged the Army Corps to swiftly develop and implement a comprehensive plan to combat Asian Carp when the Corps releases its feasibility study on the transfer of invasive aquatic species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins by this month.
The full text of Casey’s letter can be seen below:
The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy
Assistant Secretary of the Army
Department of the Army, Civil Works
Dear Assistant Secretary Darcy:
I am writing to request that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hold a public meeting in Erie, Pennsylvania, this month regarding the options for preventing the entry of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes watershed.
I want to ensure my constituents have a thorough explanation of the various options proposed by the Corps, as well as an adequate opportunity to comment on them. The schedule of meeting locations released yesterday does not provide this opportunity to residents in the eastern Great Lakes area. As you may be aware, Pennsylvania’s fishing industry contributes $1.6 billion to the state’s economy annually. Asian Carp is a threat to this industry and I believe my constituents would have much to share with the Army Corps on methods to prevent the infiltration of carp.
I appreciate your attention to this matter and would appreciate you keeping me updated as to the status of my request. I look forward to continue working with you.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator
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