What to know

• The Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a $1.15 billion barrier system designed to prevent invasive Asian carp from reaching the $5.1 billion Great Lakes fishery, was halted by the Trump administration in July without explanation.
• Juvenile invasive carp were discovered in an Illinois tributary closer to Lake Michigan than ever previously recorded—just 80 miles away—heightening urgency.
• Michigan Gov. Whitmer's direct phone call to Trump on Wednesday led to the immediate lifting of the stop-work order hours later, illustrating her unusual bipartisan relationship with the president and the top-down, relationship-driven decision-making in his administration.
• The project has faced repeated uncertainty under Trump despite his stated support and hundreds of millions in federal funding, with project authority previously transferred to the Detroit District in a move seen as retaliation against Illinois Gov. Pritzker.

“This transfer will ensure the project progresses in closer coordination with the state of Michigan, which has been a model non-federal sponsor for this project to date.”

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Official statement · Detroit Free Press ↗ · Apr 8

Donald Trump PresidentGretchen Whitmer Michigan GovernorU.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project executorJ.B. Pritzker Illinois Governor