The Trump administration has announced it will shift management of the $1.15 billion Brandon Road Interbasin Project from Illinois to Michigan amid a feud with Governor JB Pritzker. The project aims to block invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes via a multi-technology barrier in the Des Plaines River. Illinois officials have vowed to fight the move in court.
President Donald Trump's administration is moving control of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a barrier designed to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes, from Illinois to Michigan. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle stated on X that the agency is “aggressively moving out on this project and moving its management out of Illinois.” The Army Corps of Engineers will transfer oversight to its Detroit office, citing Illinois as an “unreliable partner, delinquent on its payments and real estate commitments.” Telle added, “President Trump has always been a champion of keeping invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.” Our partners in the Great Lake states can’t allow one state to have undue influence and use it to play more games.” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker responded sharply, asserting that “Illinois has upheld our commitments.” He called the decision a “political stunt” and urged the release of funds to advance the project, warning, “Illinois owns the land the Brandon Road Project will be built on — Trump cannot just decide to give it away.” Pritzker said the state is prepared to take the matter to court. The states of Illinois and Michigan, along with the Army Corps, signed an agreement on July 1, 2024, under which Illinois committed about $50 million and acquired 50 acres of riverbed plus 2.75 acres of nearby land. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's press secretary, Stacey LaRouche, said Whitmer has collaborated with Illinois and federal officials to push the project forward with urgency to protect the lakes and support economic growth. The Asian carp, including silver and bighead species, have overrun parts of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. The barrier incorporates electric fields, acoustic deterrents, bubble curtains, and flushing locks. The project's path has been turbulent: paused by Pritzker last February over funding concerns, revived with $100 million for phase one completed in July, then reviewed and halted in December.
