WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, along with 21 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced the Stop Asian Carp Act, H.R. 892.

The legislation will require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct and expedite a study detailing engineering options to determine the best way to permanently separate the Mississippi River Basin from Lake Michigan and prevent Asian carp and other invasive species from entering the Great Lakes.

In the U.S. Senate, Sen. Debbie Stabenow introduced similar legislation.

In the House, the legislation is authored by Rep. Dave Camp and co-sponsored by all 15 members of the Michigan delegation.

“This bill is an important step for a long-term, permanent solution to keeping the carp and other invasive species out of our precious Great Lakes,” said Upton. “Billions of dollars and 800,000 jobs supported by the Great Lakes industry are hanging in the balance. We need action now.”

The study must begin within 30 days of the bill’s enactment, and the Army Corps must send a progress report to Congress and the President within six months and again in 12 months.

The full study must be completed and given to Congress and the President 18 months after the bill is enacted.

It will be monitored by the Council on Environmental Quality to insure its thorough and timely completion.

The study will also address flooding threats, Chicago wastewater, water safety operations and barge and recreational vessel traffic alternatives. It will examine other modes of transportation for the shipping industry and influence new engineering designs to move canal traffic from one body of water to the other without transferring invasive species.