Asian Carp Threaten the Great Lakes-Please sign the Petition

Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Asian Carp Threaten the Great Lakes Waterways

We need a grassroots effort to maintain vigilance on this issue to protect Lake Michigan and the connecting waterways.

Attorney General Cox wanted to make you aware of significant
developments which took place over the holidays in Michigan's efforts to
stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. Five states and a
province are now standing with Michigan before the United States Supreme
Court in our battle to protect the Great Lakes and the billions in
economic activity they create for our economy.

As you know, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox filed suit at the U.S.
Supreme Court on December 21st asking for an immediate injunction to
close locks controlling the flow of water from carp-infested Chicago
waterways to Lake Michigan. The suit also asked the Supreme Court to
reopen the long running "Chicago Diversion" case to force action on a
plan to separate the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River basin.

A.G. Cox is pleased to note today that four other Great Lakes states
have now joined Michigan's fight to protect our greatest natural
resource from Asian carp: Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin.

These states have filed documents with the U.S. Supreme Court in support
of our request to immediately close the locks at Chicago.

The State of Indiana's attorney general has announced that his office
will also move soon to support Michigan's efforts to protect the Great
Lakes.

And, the Canadian Province of Ontario filed an amicus brief at the
Supreme Court supporting Attorney General Cox's position.

This new support for Michigan's position in the U.S. Supreme Court is
great news.

Opponents of Michigan's efforts are expected to file their response this
week. Our hope is that the Supreme Court responds quickly in order to
put these protective measures in place before Asian carp make it into
Lake Michigan and beyond.

By way of reminder, you can still download a copy of Attorney General
Cox's filing, press and background materials at
http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-34391-228350--,00.html)

As Attorney General Cox has said, "Stopping Asian carp is an economic
and environmental necessity for Michigan. Thousands of jobs are at
stake and we will not get a second chance to protect the unique ecology
of the Great Lakes once the carp enter Lake Michigan. That's why the
locks must be shut down until we are assured that Michigan will be
protected."


Please click on this link and sign the petition to help prevent this spread of Asian carp:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/prevent-asian-carp-from-entering-lake-michigan.html

Thanks for your support