Senator Pavlov offered the following resolution:

            Senate Resolution No. 23.

            A resolution to call on the Obama Administration and the Congress of the United States to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the connection between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins through Chicago to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.

            Whereas, The Great Lakes are one of our nation's great natural wonders. Bordering Michigan and seven other states, these inland seas contain nearly one-fifth of the world's surface fresh water. They support jobs in manufacturing, tourism, recreation, shipping, agriculture, science, engineering, energy, and mining throughout the region. The protection of the Great Lakes is essential to Michigan's state identity and economy as well as national economic growth; and

            Whereas, Asian carp pose an imminent threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem and economy. Asian carp have successfully invaded the Mississippi River basin and now stand only 50 miles downstream from the Great Lakes. Asian carp can reproduce rapidly, consume large quantities of food, disrupt local ecosystems, out-compete native fish, and devastate recreational fishing and boating opportunities. There is general scientific consensus that Asian carp will be able to establish populations and thrive in areas of the Great Lakes, and once established, they will be difficult, if not impossible, to control or eradicate. Thus, the federal government has recognized Asian carp as "the most acute [aquatic invasive species] threat facing the Great Lakes today"; and

            Whereas, Closing off the man-made connections between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basins in the Chicago area is the most effective means to keep out Asian carp. In the past, zebra mussels and other invasive species have used the Chicago Area Waterway System to spread from one basin to the other, causing billions of dollars in economic damage over the years. Studies by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, and academic researchers have all come to the same conclusion that hydrologic separation is both feasible and the best way to ensure Asian carp never reach the Great Lakes and protect both basins from future invasions; and

            Whereas, The 2012 report by the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative found that separation could be accomplished while maintaining or even enhancing the current uses of the Chicago Area Waterway System and could potentially achieve $1.4 billion to $9.5 billion in long-term savings. In addition, the report concluded that separation may be far less expensive than estimated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and

            Whereas, Immediate and decisive action is required to protect the Great Lakes. Asian carp could cause billions of dollars in lost revenues and thousands of lost jobs in the $7 billion sports and commercial fishing industry and the $9 billion recreational boating industry. In addition, damage done to the Great Lakes, rivers, and inland lakes by Asian carp would greatly harm our state's viability as an attractive vacation destination, thereby leading to decreased tourism revenue and jobs; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate, That we call on the Obama Administration and the Congress of the United States to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the connection between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins through Chicago to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.