MichiganRadio

White House to Host Great Lakes-Asian Carp Summit LANSING, MI (MPRN) -

The White House has agreed to convene a summit of Great Lakes leaders to try and come up with a solution to the threat posed by Asian carp.

The meeting between President Obama's environmental advisor and Great Lakes governors is expected to take place the first week in February.

Governor Granholm and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle sent a letter to the White House the same day the U-S Supreme Court refused Michigan's emergency request to shut down a Chicago shipping canal.

The Obama administration opposed the request because of its cost to the Great Lakes shipping industry.

Megan Brown is a spokeswoman for Governor Granholm. She says the White House's swift response to the request for a summit shows the President understands what's at stake.

"Clearly, they share our sense of urgency on this looming threat," says Brown, "We look forward to meeting with them on the threat the Asian carp poses to the Great Lakes."

There is a growing body of evidence that carp in the canal are getting very close to Lake Michigan, which could lead to a catastrophic infestation of the Great Lakes watershed. © Copyright 2012, MPRN