Klobuchar’s provision, which would help fight the spread of Asian carp by closing the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock within a year, is now included in both the Senate and House water infrastructure bills, which will now go to conference committee before final passage

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced that her provision to fight Asian carp passed the House of Representatives. Klobuchar’s provision, which would help fight the spread of Asian carp by closing the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock within a year, is now included in both the Senate and House water infrastructure bills, which will now go to conference committee before final passage. Klobuchar fought to include her provision in the Senate bill which passed earlier this year, and worked closely with Minnesota’s House delegation to ensure it was included in the House legislation.

“Asian carp not only pose a serious threat to Minnesota’s environment, they also threaten the recreation and fishing industries that play a key role in the state’s economy,” Klobuchar said. “Given that my lock closure provision is now included in both the House and Senate bills, this strengthens our ability to get it through conference committee.”

Klobuchar has been a leader in helping to fight the spread of Asian carp. Earlier this year, Senator Klobuchar introduced The Upper Mississippi Conservation and River Protection Act (Upper Mississippi CARP Act) that was similar to the amendment that passed the House and Senate. The bill, which Klobuchar introduced with Senator Franken and Representatives Keith Ellison, Erik Paulsen, Tim Walz, and Rick Nolan, would help keep Asian carp out of the state’s waterways by closing the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock if certain criteria are met and would direct federal agencies to partner with Minnesota on efforts to root out infestations and prevent the spread of Asian carp.

Klobuchar also cosponsored an additional amendment to the Water Resources Development Act in the Senate, introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), to help create a coordinated federal response to the Asian carp threat, enabling the federal government to work more effectively with state and local entities to help fight the spread of the invasive species in waterways around the country.  Last year Klobuchar worked to pass the Stop Invasive Species Act, which requires the expedited creation of a plan to block Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes through a number of rivers and tributaries across the Great Lakes region.

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