White House agrees to summit on Asian carp

Last week Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Gov. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin wrote to the White House requesting a summit of Great Lakes governors to discuss the threat posed to the world’s largest freshwater resource by the Asian carp. On Wednesday, Nancy Sutley, chair of the president’s Council on Environmental Quality, wrote to the two governors and agreed to schedule such a meeting. The full text of that letter is below the fold:

Governors Granholm and Doyle,

Thank you for your letter to President Obama regarding the threat to the Great Lakes posed by Asian carp. As Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and on behalf of my Federal agency colleagues, I welcome the opportunity to meet with the Great Lakes Governors on this important issue.

As you know, over the past several decades, invasive species have harmed the Great Lakes ecosystem. Today, as we see the threat and potential impact of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes, we have an opportunity to work together to prevent environmental and economic damage before it happens.

I would like to suggest a meeting during the first week of February, either in the Midwest or in Washington D.C., with you and your fellow Great Lakes Governors or your designees, to discuss the strategy to combat the spread of Asian carp and ensure coordination and the most effective response across all levels of government to respond to this threat. In keeping with the strong tradition of regional cooperation, I also hope to discuss ways in which we can continue and strengthen the Federal-State partnership to protect the Great Lakes.

I look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

Nancy H. Sutley