Obama administration willing to have summit on Asian Carp

The White House is offering to meet with Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and other Midwest leaders about Asian Carp in the Great Lakes.

On Tuesday, Doyle and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm asked for a White House summit on Asian Carp and other invasive species in the lakes. That was after federal officials announced Asian Carp DNA has been found in a Lake Michigan harbor, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to temporarily shut Chicago area locks, that the states say may be letting the carp get to the lakes.

The chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Nancy Sutley, has written to the two governors, suggesting a meeting in early February. Sutley told Wisconsin Pubic Radio that the White House understands the carp issue is important.

Sutley says she wants to make sure federal agencies are working together, and working with state and local agencies. She says the Obama Administration has already put money into controlling the carp.

A spokesperson for Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm says Granholm looks forward to the meeting, which will either be in Washington or in the Midwest.

Tags: asian carp, invasive species, news, wisconsin, superior