By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-873847.mp3
LANSING, MI – Attorney General Mike Cox's office says he could decide within a few days whether to sue the U-S Army Corps of Engineers to shut down a Chicago shipping canal. Michigan officials say drastic action may be necessary to ensure the Great Lakes are not invaded by the Asian carp.
At least one carp has been found in the canal during a fish kill this week.
Nick DeLeeuw is the attorney general's spokesman. He says Cox ordered a review as soon as it was revealed there's evidence the carp may be in the canal that connects the Mississippi River system to Lake Michigan.
"The attorney general said in recent weeks that he's been reviewing all the legal options that see that the operators of the Chicago Sewer and Ship Canal take more aggressive action to stop the Asian carp," DeLeeuw says.
Experts say an Asian carp invasion could cause an ecological disaster as the carp crowds out other species. DeLeeuw says the attorney general wants authorities to come up with a permanent plan to keep the carp out of the Great Lakes - such as building a physical barrier separating the Mississippi River system from the Great Lakes watershed.