MichiganRadio

Barge Industry Says Closing Locks Bad for Economy, Environment ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - A spokesperson for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry says shutting down the locks would hurt the economy and the environment.

Lynne Munch, of the American Waterways Operators, says barges transport more than a billion dollars worth of materials in the area. If the locks are closed, those materials would have to be transferred to trucks, which will cause more traffic and pollution. And she says consumers will have to pay more for materials because transportation costs are up.

Plus, Munch says simply shutting down some of the locks won't keep Asian Carp out "because those are only two entry places for the fish to get into the lake and there are several other ones in the region, especially during flooding times where the fish could easily get into the lake."

Munch says the industry is considering legal options in response to the lawsuit.

Asian carp are an invasive species that have spread up the Mississippi. Biologists warn the fish could harm the Great Lakes ecosystem and its $7 billion a year fishing industry. © Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio