Legislative Current event

Hoekstra, P. (2010, January 26). Pete Hoekstra: No doubt Asian carp could devastate Michigan’s environment, economy. Retrieved January 30, 2010 from http://hoekstra.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle/aspx?DocumentID=167751

Topic-Legislative- The Legislative branch contains the House of Representatives and the Senate creating Congress. The responsibility of Congress is to govern the people and to pass laws. They also make sure that the Executive branch and the Judicial Branch do not abuse their powers.

Summary:

Who: The article is about Pete Hoekstra and Asian carp.

What: The article is about keeping the Asian carp out of Lake Michigan. Asian carp are in the Mississippi basins and are trying to get into the Great Lakes. It says what has been done already to keep the carp out of the Great Lakes and what more needs to be done to ensure that the carp do not make it into Lake Michigan. He calls for immediate action about the problem and that all ten agencies that share jurisdiction work together quickly to resolve the Asian carp
issue.

Where: The problem takes place in Chicago’s canal into Lake Michigan.

When: January 26 is when Peter Hoekstra wrote this opinion, but the issue has been ongoing for over six years.

Why: Asian carp are aggressive and will kill other fish in the Great Lakes. If the Asian carp get into the Great Lakes, this will affect fishing, boating, and other water based industries in Michigan. The need to keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes has been an issue for several years, and is still being addressed in Congress.

My reaction: I have no idea how to keep a fish from swimming where it wants to go. I think the need for stopping the Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes is real, and more should be done to take steps to ensure the safety of our Great Lakes. If ten different agencies share the jurisdiction, I can see why nothing is getting done. If closing the canal will not keep the carp out, then I don’t think it should be done at all. The canal is a resource for Chicago, and that resource should not be taken away. I don’t see why Michigan has not done more in Lake Michigan itself to protect the lake. If the canal area has too many hands in the pot, then take the electric fence or other idea further into the lake where not so many heads are butting together. My understanding of the Asian carp problems is that the Asian carp will change the Great Lakes forever if it is allowed to enter. If this is really the case, then something should already have been done at the first sign of the Asian carp. The Great Lakes is not only important to Michigan, but also is a sources of revenue to shipping agencies, and a source of water to bottling companies. The destruction of the Great Lakes will affect all of the United States.