The Economy Project
(2010-02-18)
Listen Now:
null
T. J. O’Brien Lock and Dam on the Calumet River, which is part of the Illinois Waterway. The dam is located in Burnham, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Visual Library)
Opponents of permanently closing an Illinois canal to prevent Asian Carp from reaching Lake Michigan say the economic price would be too high.
But a new study by a Wayne State University business professor suggests the economic impact is being overstated.
Millions of tons of cargo pass through the Chicago Sanitary Canal every year. Shippers say closing the canal to stop the carp will devastate northern Illinois' economy.
But Wayne State University professor John Taylor says it's an argument that doesn't hold up. Taylor has been analyzing the financial impact of the possible canal closure for Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who's suing to get the canal closed. Taylor says the millions of tons of barge cargo displaced by closing the canal could easily be absorbed by Chicago's massive transportation rail system.
Taylor admits, however, that shippers would lose jobs.
"But there would be additional jobs...added in trucking and rail..and handling and other modes...that would offset those overtime," says Taylor.
The current plan to prevent Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes relies heavily on electric barriers to deter the fish. There are no plans to permanently close the canal. © Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio
Newsletters and Daily Email
Podcasts
Mobile
RSS
