Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to Testify Before Lawmakers About the State's Legal Efforts to Control Invasion of Asian Carp

“This hearing is an opportunity to bring attention to the urgency behind our ongoing efforts to prevent damage to the Great Lakes.”

MADISON — Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen will testify Wednesday morning before the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources about the serious economic and environmental threat to Wisconsin and the Great Lakes posed by the non-native Asian Carp.

The Attorney General was invited to appear by Representative Jeff Mursau, the committee chair.

“By authorizing me to take legal action, lawmakers already have recognized how destructive this invasive species can be to our interests,” Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said. “This hearing is an opportunity to bring further attention to the urgency behind our ongoing efforts to stop this threat.”

Late last month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a federal district court ruling which denied Wisconsin and other plaintiff states a preliminary injunction to stop the migration of Asian carp into the Great Lakes.

Van Hollen expressed disappointment with the court's decision but said the court recognized the threat and found merit in the states' claims.

This summer, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced the discovery of Asian carp in the Wisconsin River below the Prairie du Sac Dam, and the discovery of Asian carp DNA in the St. Croix River.

Assistant Attorney General Cynthia Hirsch, who represented the State of Wisconsin in the Seventh Circuit, will join the Attorney General for testimony.

The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, September 14, 2011, beginning at 9:30 a.m. It will take place in 417 North (GAR Hall) at the State Capitol.