Great Lakes Law

CARP ACT introduced in Congress to prevent spread of Asian carp into Great Lakes

New legislation, titled “Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today” (or CARP ACT), was introduced in the U.S. Senate (S. 2946) and House (H.R. 4472). The legislation would direct the Army Corps of Engineers to implement many of the same emergency measures to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes that Michigan sought in its motion for a preliminary injunction to the Supreme Court. The lead sponsors are U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)... Read more →

Feds acknowledge Asian carp DNA in Lake Michigan in letter to the Supreme Court

Just hours after the Supreme Court issued its ruling denying Michigan’s motion for a preliminary injunction to take immediate action to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp, the federal government acknowledged that Asian carp DNA has now been found in Lake Michigan. In a letter to the Supreme Court, the Solicitor General stated that positive samples of Asian carp DNA have been found in the Calumet River and Calumet Harbor, past the Army Corps’... Read more →

Supreme Court denies Michigan’s request to take immediate action on Asian carp

The U.S. Supreme Court today denied Michigan’s request to take immediate action to stop Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes. In a one-line order (go to page 3), the Supreme Court denied the State of Michigan’s motion for a preliminary injunction, siding with the State of Illinois, the federal government (essentially the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. While the Supreme Court did not issue an... Read more →

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox launches Stop Asian Carp website for public outreach

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has created a Stop Asian Carp website – www.stopasiancarp.com – to educate the public about this threat facing the Great Lakes. The website itself is a very useful resource, with primary documents, news coverage, and lots of background information. I’m also impressed with how Michigan’s Attorney General is serving as an advocate for the Great Lakes on this issue beyond the courtroom. Good advocacy begins with public outreach and education,... Read more →

United States and Illinois file briefs opposing Michigan’s call to close the Chicago Canal locks

The State of Illinois, the United States, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago have filed their respective responses to Michigan and the other Great Lakes states in the U.S. Supreme Court. (I’ve created a separate post with all Supreme Court filings involving the Asian carp at www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/2010/01/supreme-court-asian-carp-filings.html.) I didn’t see any surprises in their responses – basically all three government defendants are arguing that (1) the Supreme Court should not get involved... Read more →

Supreme Court Asian Carp Filings

This post provides links to all of the Supreme Court filings regarding the Asian carp dispute, and will be updated as new filings are made. Supreme Court - Order Denying Michigan's Motion for Preliminary Injunction (go to page 3) State of Michigan – Motion and Petition to Reopen Wisconsin v. Illinois State of Michigan – Motion for Preliminary Injunction State of Michigan – Appendix State of Michigan – Renewed Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Appendix... Read more →