Bill Text: MI SR0122 | 2013-2014 | 97th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to urge the Congress of the United States and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use the structured expert judgment method to assess the alternatives to prevent movement of aquatic invasive species proposed in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study Report.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 25-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-03-06 - Referred To Committee On Natural Resources, Environment And Great Lakes [SR0122 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2013-SR0122-Introduced.html
Senators Hildenbrand, Richardville, Jones, Rocca, Marleau, Hune, Brandenburg, Kowall, Robertson, Jansen, Booher, Emmons, Casperson, Meekhof, Schuitmaker, Moolenaar, Green, Walker, Caswell, Nofs, Colbeck, Pavlov, Proos, Pappageorge and Hansen offered the following resolution:
Senate Resolution No. 122.
A resolution to urge the Congress of the United States and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use the structured expert judgment method to assess the alternatives to prevent movement of aquatic invasive species proposed in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study Report.
Whereas, The artificial connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basins in the Chicago area is a major pathway for Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species (AIS) to spread from one basin to the other. In the past, zebra mussels and other AIS have used the Chicago Area Waterway System to spread from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River basin, causing billions of dollars in economic damage. As Asian carp stand on the brink of the Great Lakes, it has become imperative that we arrive at solutions for this problem; and
Whereas, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently completed the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) Report to assess the feasibility of different options to prevent AIS from spreading between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. The Army Corps of Engineers proposed eight alternatives to address the problem, ranging from complete hydrologic separation of the two basins to maintaining the status quo. Despite the study's scope, it has generated far more questions than it has answered, and a great deal of uncertainty remains; and
Whereas, Researchers from the University of Notre Dame, the University of Strathclyde, and the U.S. Forest Service have applied a novel method, structured expert judgment (SEJ), to the Asian carp problem. Using this method, they have quantified the effectiveness of 17 different strategies to prevent Asian carp from moving through the Chicago Area Waterway System and clearly identified hydrologic separation as the most effective strategy. Structured expert judgment holds great promise to clarify quickly and decisively the uncertainties surrounding the eight alternatives proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and
Whereas, We do not have the luxury to study for years, using more traditional methods, the options to prevent the spread of AIS from one basin to the other. We must move towards action before it is too late, and decision-makers need clear and easily understood data to cut through the sea of opinions and uncertainty to make wise and responsible decisions; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we urge the Congress of the United States and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use the structured expert judgment method to assess the alternatives to prevent movement of aquatic invasive species proposed in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study Report; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the members of the Michigan congressional delegation, the Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Chicago District, and the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
