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To urge Congress to enact the Stop Invasive Species | 1 |
Act, S. 2317 of the 112th Congress. | 2 |
WHEREAS, The waters of the Great Lakes are an important and | 3 |
vital asset of the United States. Further, the waters of Lake Erie | 4 |
are an important and vital asset of Ohio and are especially | 5 |
critical to sustaining life and the economy of northern Ohio; and | 6 |
WHEREAS, Over 180 aquatic invasive species have been | 7 |
introduced into the Great Lakes. One of the potential pathways for | 8 |
introduction and movement of those species into the Great Lakes is | 9 |
the Chicago Area Waterway System; and | 10 |
WHEREAS, The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 | 11 |
authorized the Secretary of the Army to conduct a study called the | 12 |
Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study to evaluate a range | 13 |
of options and technologies to prevent the spread of aquatic | 14 |
nuisance species between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River | 15 |
by aquatic pathways; and | 16 |
WHEREAS, The completion of the Great Lakes Mississippi River | 17 |
Interbasin Study is vital to determine if a project is necessary | 18 |
to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species between the | 19 |
Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins such as a permanent | 20 |
hydrological separation of the basins and the Chicago Area | 21 |
Waterway System; and | 22 |
WHEREAS, The Stop Invasive Species Act of 2012, S. 2317, was | 23 |
introduced in Congress in April 2012, and would compel the | 24 |
Secretary of the Army to complete the report from the Great Lakes | 25 |
Mississippi River Interbasin Study within eighteen months of its | 26 |
enactment. The Stop the Invasive Species Act of 2012 is now | 27 |
pending in Congress; now therefore be it | 28 |
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 129th General Assembly | 29 |
of the State of Ohio, acting on behalf of the citizens of Ohio, | 30 |
urge Congress to enact S. 2317 to compel the Secretary of the Army | 31 |
to complete the Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study in | 32 |
order to determine if a project is necessary to prevent the spread | 33 |
of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and | 34 |
Mississippi River basins; and be it further | 35 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives | 36 |
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the | 37 |
Secretary of the Army, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States | 38 |
House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary | 39 |
of the United States Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional | 40 |
delegation, and the news media of Ohio. | 41 |