Barack Obama: Obama Secures Funding to Construct Asian Carp Barrier

Update Upper Mississippi Locks

June 29, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved his funding requests to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species and to update the Mississippi’s locks:

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“Protecting the Great Lakes from invasive species and restoring the locks along the Mississippi will boost Illinois’ economy while protecting our environment,” said Senator Obama. "The Asian Carp Barrier will preserve Lake Michigan’s ecosystem and prevent the foreign species from wiping out other fish and plant populations. Illinois farmers stand to lose millions in exports unless we repair the infrastructure that will allow our corn and our soy to reach their port. This restoration will create more than 6,000 jobs and spur regional economic growth, and it will be performed in conjunction with environmental restoration.”
FY08 Energy and Water Development Senate Appropriations bill

$3,250,000 to the Army Corps of Engineers in the Chicago District of Illinois, to support permanent construction of the Asian Carp Barrier:

The State of Illinois has been working closely with the Chicago District and other Great Lakes agencies at both the federal and state level to keep Asian Carp from reaching the Great Lakes through the Chicago Waterway system. Funding will fulfill a Project Cooperation Agreement with the Corps to construct a second, more effective and permanent electrical barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Obama secured these funds with Senators Durbin, Levin, and Stabenow.

$12,000,000 to the Army Corps of Engineers in Illinois, to support the Upper Mississippi River Illinois Waterway System Navigation Study, IL, IA, MN, MO, & WI:

Pre-Construction Engineering & Design (PED) of seven new 1,200-foot lock chambers and ecosystem restoration. Timely PED work for navigation is consistent with a recent study indicating that without new 1,200-foot lock chambers at the identified seven locations, American farmers stand to lose over $562 million annually in lost exports and domestic demand by 2020. Manufacturers and consumers also stand to lose from deteriorating infrastructure on our " Third Coast" in addition to the 400,000 jobs sustained by this transportation corridor. Construction of these new lock chambers will create at least 48 million man-hours, or up to 6,000 construction jobs each year, providing immediate economic benefits through high-skilled labor, and spurring much-needed economic growth that has historically occurred through investing in our lock and dam infrastructure. Obama secured these funds with Senators Durbin (D-IL), Bond (R-MO), Grassley (R-IA), and Klobuchar (D-MN).

Source: Senator Barack Obama