On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
I appreciate the recognition and stand to oppose the gentleman's amendment, first of all, to make the observation, representing the northwest corner of the State of Indiana, that I believe the gentleman is mistaken in suggesting that the State of Indiana supports the closure of the locks. It is my understanding that the State of Indiana opposes the closing of the locks. I would agree with the gentleman's assertion that we face a very serious problem as far as the carp, and I and others have certainly joined in that concern. As a member of the Energy and Water Subcommittee for over a decade, we have been working acidulously on this particular problem, not only with the Army Corps of Engineers, but with an assortment of State and Federal regulatory bodies, because no one wants carp in the Great Lakes. But I would emphasize to this body that it is a work in progress. And at this point, the closure of the locks is uncalled for. The second point--and the gentleman talks about the economy, there is an economic issue. Speaking for the State of Indiana, I would point out, if those locks were closed, the impact as far as the loss to economic activity in the State of Indiana is $1.9 billion, and 17,655 jobs in Indiana would be affected. We're trying to create jobs in this economy, not strike them from beneath us. And, finally, this issue is not without controversy. It has ended up in the courts. The gentleman's absolutely correct about that.
