AttorneysEd Center

The potential infestation of the Great Lakes by invasive Asian carp species has precipitated a battle between environmental, shipping, tourism, and governmental interests in the United States and Canada over proposals to physically separate Lake Michigan from the rivers where the fish have been found. Join Steven Pflaum, a partner at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, who provides an overview of the overlapping laws, regulations, executive orders, and treaties applicable to efforts to respond to the threat posed by Asian carp, with emphasis on the “pressure points” that can be expected to serve as the battleground for those advocating or opposing physical separation as the solution. Subjects covered by this program include:
• The Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework being developed by the Obama Administration’s Asian Carp Workgroup
• Application of key environmental laws to the Asian carp controversy, including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act
• Application of the Great Lakes Fishery Convention Act and the 1955 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries Between Canada and the United States
• Efforts to invoke the original jurisdiction of the United States Supreme Court