Congress is on the verge of ordering federal engineers to speed up a study of how to keep Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.
The House and Senate are expected to vote shortly on a measure that would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to produce within 18 months a plan for preventing species migrations between the lakes and the Mississippi River watershed.
Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan attached the provision to a highway spending bill.
The Obama administration has pledged to produce a list of options for protecting the lakes from a carp attack by the end of 2013.
But the measure proposed by Camp and Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan requires a more detailed plan for blocking invasions at 18 locations, including the Chicago waterway system.
