GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The White House has reportedly lifted the work stoppage order at the Brandon Road Interbasin Project.
The Detroit News reports the order was lifted Wednesday after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke with President Donald Trump about the project. The billion-dollar project was placed under administrative review back in January and formally paused in late July.
Invasive carp found closer than ever to Lake Michigan
A spokesperson for the governor’s office reportedly told The Detroit News that she “underscored the urgency of the moment” while talking with the president, noting that invasive carp had recently been found farther up the Illinois River than ever recorded, about 80 miles away from Lake Michigan.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined that the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, 27 miles southwest of Chicago, is the key containment point to prevent invasive carp from advancing into the Great Lakes.
In this 2012 file photo, invasive carp, jolted by an electric current from a research boat, jump from the Illinois River near Havana, Ill. (AP file)
Invasive carp — formerly known as Asian carp — are considered a major threat to the Great Lakes because they could upend the natural ecosystem. Invasive carp is a group term for four different species: bighead carp, black carp, grass carp and silver carp. All four are voracious eaters and would devour the food sources for several popular Great Lakes fish, including walleye and rainbow trout, key players in the region’s billion-dollar fishing industry.
Invasive carp were used as a tool in the 1970s, controlling algae, weed and parasite growth on aquatic farms. But the fish eventually made their way into the Mississippi River basin and now dominate that ecosystem.
The Brandon Road Interbasin Project spent several years in planning and development, and a funding agreement was reached in 2024, splitting the costs between Michigan, Illinois and the USACE.
News 8 has reached out to the governor’s office and the USACE for more comment.
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