,,ii #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ehi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #bf1 #bjae,ms4 ,stabenow 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,portman1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,franken1 and ,mr4 ,schumer7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works ,a ,,bill ,to provide an immediate measure to control the spread of aquatic nuisance species from the ,mississippi ,river basin to the ,great ,lakes basin and to inform long-term measures to prevent the ,interbasin transfer of aquatic nuisance species4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,defending ,our ,great ,lakes ,act of #bjae4 #b4 ,aquatic invasive species control zone at brandon road lock and dam site1 joliet1 illinois 7a7 ,immediate actions 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of the ,army1 acting through the ,chief of ,engineers1 the ,secretary of the ,interior1 acting through the ,director of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service and the ,director of the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey1 the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 and any other applicable ,federal agency shall take immediate actions to prevent the upstream transfer of aquatic nuisance species from the ,mississippi ,river basin to the ,great ,lakes basin through the ,brandon ,road ,lock and ,dam site4 7#b7 ,focus ,actions under paragraph 7#a7 shall place a special focus on ,asian carp species and other aquatic nuisance species of concern to the ,great ,lakes as referenced in the ,great ,lakes ,mississippi ,river ,interbasin ,study of the ,army ,corps of ,engineers issued pursuant to section #aech of ,public ,law #aab-ada 7#abf ,stat4 #ehf74 7b7 ,construction 7#a7 ,required measures ,the ,chief of ,engineers shall implement measures to improve the ,brandon ,road ,lock and ,dam site to prevent the upstream transfer of ,asian carp and other swimming aquatic nuisance species through the lock and dam1 including-- 7,a7 constructing an engineered channel in the approach to the site from the ,mississippi ,river direction1 as outlined in the report issued pursuant to section #aech of ,public ,law #aab-ada 7#abf ,stat4 #ehf72 and 7,b7 adding technologies and measures necessary for aquatic nuisance species control1 while protecting the area's ecosystem to the greatest extent feasible4 7#b7 ,cost estimate and schedule ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,chief of ,engineers shall submit to ,congress a cost estimate for1 and schedule for completion of1 measures to be constructed under this subsection4 7c7 ,other measures ,the ,director of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service1 in consultation with the ,director of the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey1 the ,chief of ,engineers1 the ,commandant of the ,united ,states ,coast ,guard1 the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 and the heads of other relevant agencies1 shall implement all appropriate measures in compliance with applicable ,state and ,federal law around the ,brandon ,road ,lock and ,dam site on the ,illinois ,river to prevent the upstream transfer of swimming and floating aquatic nuisance species1 with a focus on ,asian carp species1 including-- 7#a7 implementing existing ,asian carp monitoring and control strategies at the ,brandon ,road site1 as applicable1 including real-time monitoring for aquatic nuisance species passing through by using relevant technology2 7#b7 using the ,brandon ,road ,lock and ,dam site to the maximum extent practicable to test new aquatic nuisance species control technologies and measures2 7#c7 implementing control strategies identified through that testing necessary to fulfill the objectives of this section1 considering those strategies that minimize the negative impact on the river ecosystem and desirable aquatic native species1 while maintaining efficient navigation2 and 7#d7 developing best management practices to mitigate aquatic nuisance species transfer by boat and barge operators on the ,illinois ,river and ,chicago ,sanitary and ,shipping ,canal and working with operators to implement the practices4 7d7 ,administration 7#a7 ,acquisition of real estate ,the ,chief of ,engineers may only acquire real estate that is necessary to carry out this section and shall do so pursuant to the laws 7including regulations7 in existence at the time of the acquisition4 7#b7 ,cooperation ,in carrying out this section1 the ,chief of ,engineers1 the ,director of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service1 and the ,director of the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey shall coordinate with each other and-- 7,a7 the ,governors of ,illinois1 ,indiana1 ,michigan1 ,minnesota1 ,new ,york1 ,ohio1 ,pennsylvania1 and ,wisconsin2 7,b7 the ,chicago ,area ,waterway ,system ,advisory ,committee2 and 7,c7 any other applicable ,state1 regional1 local1 and international government entity4 7#c7 ,consultation ,in carrying out this section1 the ,chief of ,engineers1 the ,director of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service1 and the ,director of the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey shall consult with appropriate entities in the business1 commerce1 and environmental communities4 #c4 ,actions related to the long-term prevention of aquatic nuisance species transfer between the great lakes basin and mississippi river basin 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of the ,army1 acting through the ,chief of ,engineers1 the ,secretary of the ,interior1 acting through the ,director of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service and the ,director of the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey1 the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 and any other applicable ,federal entity shall take actions for the long-term prevention of aquatic nuisance species between the ,mississippi ,river basin and the ,great ,lakes basin1 including transfer through the ,chicago ,area ,waterway ,system4 7b7 ,construction ,the ,chief of ,engineers shall coordinate with the ,governor of ,illinois1 the ,city of ,chicago1 the ,metropolitan ,water ,reclamation ,district of ,greater ,chicago1 and other relevant entities to design1 engineer1 and construct flood mitigation and water quality measures on the ,chicago ,area ,waterway ,system related to the prevention of the transfer of aquatic nuisance species between the ,mississippi ,river basin and the ,great ,lakes basin1 including transfer through the ,chicago ,area ,waterway ,system4 7c7 ,requirements ,in carrying out subsection 7b71 the ,chief of ,engineers shall-- 7#a7 coordinate with the ,city of ,chicago and the ,metropolitan ,water ,reclamation ,district of ,greater ,chicago to combine infrastructure to the maximum extent practicable with the ,tunnel and ,reservoir ,plan of the ,metropolitan ,water ,reclamation ,district of ,greater ,chicago1 and other relevant storm and sewer water infrastructure projects2 7#b7 ensure flood mitigation in the vicinity of the ,chicago ,area ,waterway ,system is improved and strengthen protections against flooding for residential and commercial neighborhoods2 7#c7 ensure water quality is protected in the ,great ,lakes1 the ,chicago ,waterway ,system1 and the ,mississippi ,river basin consistent with the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #abea et seq472 7#d7 provide for continued commercial and recreational watercraft traffic on the ,chicago ,area ,waterway ,system1 and maintain efficient navigation2 and 7#e7 prioritize efforts to prevent the upstream and downstream transfer of aquatic nuisance species4 7d7 ,administration 7#a7 ,cooperation ,in carrying out this section1 the ,chief of ,engineers1 the ,director of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service1 and the ,director of the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey shall coordinate with each other and-- 7,a7 the ,governors of ,illinois1 ,indiana1 ,michigan1 ,minnesota1 ,new ,york1 ,ohio1 ,pennsylvania1 and ,wisconsin2 7,b7 the ,chicago ,area ,waterway ,system ,advisory ,committee2 and 7,c7 any other applicable ,state1 regional1 local1 and international government entity4 7#b7 ,consultation ,in carrying out this section1 the ,chief of ,engineers1 the ,director of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service1 and the ,director of the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey shall consult with appropriate entities in the business1 commerce1 and environmental communities4 7#c7 ,delegation ,in carrying out this section1 the ,chief of ,engineers may delegate parts of the project to non-,federal entities subject to the availability of funding4 7#d7 ,identification of partners ,in carrying out this section1 the ,chief of ,engineers shall work to identify non-,federal cost-share partners when applicable4 7#e7 ,acquisition of real estate ,the ,chief of ,engineers may only acquire real estate that is necessary to carry out this section and shall do so pursuant to the laws 7including regulations7 in existence at the time of the acquisition4 7e7 ,report 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ah months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and each year thereafter1 the ,chief of ,engineers shall submit to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives a report describing the progress made1 and a plan for further actions to be taken1 under this section4 7#b7 ,public availability ,reports under paragraph 7#a7 shall be made available to the public through electronic means1 including the ,internet4 #d4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that there is an ongoing need to further examine and protect the tributaries and waterways located in other affected areas and ,states in the ,great ,lakes region1 including at a minimum1 the ,st4 ,croix ,river1 the ,minnesota ,river1 the ,wisconsin ,river1 and the ,ohio ,river1 against the transfer of aquatic nuisance species4