GLIN==> US Army Corps of Engineers solicits public comment on Great Lakes Study in Milwaukee (UNCLASSIFIED)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Solicits Public Comment on Great Lakes Study in
Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE– On Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE) is holding a public scoping meeting along with the Office of the
Asian Carp Director, White House Council on Environmental Quality, in
Milwaukee from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Miller Room of the O'Donnell
Park Complex, located at 910 E. Michigan St., to gather input on the Great
Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS). The public is invited
to attend this scoping meeting and to provide comments on GLMRIS. Identical
presentations about the study will be given at 2:15 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., each
followed by the comment period. The purpose of GLMRIS is to evaluate a range
of options and technologies to prevent the transfer of aquatic nuisance
species (ANS), such as Asian carp, between the Great Lakes and Mississippi
River through aquatic pathways. 

Using input obtained during the scoping period, USACE will refine the scope
of GLMRIS to focus on significant issues, as well as eliminate issues that
are not significant from further detailed study. Issues associated with
GLMRIS are likely to include, but will not be limited to: significant natural
resources, such as ecosystems and threatened and endangered species;
commercial and recreational fisheries; recreational uses of the lakes and
waterways; effects of potential ANS controls on waterways uses such as: flood
risk management, commercial and recreational navigation; and statutory and
legal responsibilities relative to the effected waterways. 

In addition to Milwaukee, USACE will hold upcoming public scoping meetings in
the following metropolitan locations: New Orleans, La. and Ann Arbor, Mich.
Specific meeting venues and dates will be announced in Federal Register
notices, the GLMRIS Web site and other media.

The public scoping comment period will end on March 31, 2011. If you plan to
make an oral comment, please register on the GLMRIS Web site. Comments can
also be submitted electronically through the Web site. Each scoping meeting
will consist of two separate three-hour sessions to allow as many attendees
as possible. 

 An ANS is a nonindigenous species that threatens the diversity or abundance
of native species; the ecological stability of infested waters; or the
commercial, agricultural, aquacultural or recreational activities dependent
on such water. As a result of international commerce, travel and local
practices, ANS have been introduced and spread throughout the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River basins. Connected primarily by man-made channels, ANS
transfer was impeded historically by the poor water quality of those
waterways. Recent water quality improvements have lessened that impediment
making it more likely for ANS transfer between the two basins to occur.
	
For more information regarding GLMRIS, the meeting agenda and scoping
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, visit the GLMRIS Web
site at www.glmris.anl.gov or call Dave Wethington, GLMRIS project manager,
at 312-846-5522 or e-mail at David.M.Wethington at usace.army.mil.
Facebook.com/glmris and Twitter @GLMRIS. 
###

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE


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