Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is ready to take the Trump administration to court rather than allow it to move management of building a new invasive carp barrier that is under construction in his state to Detroit, according to a source close to the Democratic executive who frequently spars with President Donald Trump.
That closely follows Pritzker’s response on social media after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced its decision on a social media post.
The project is meant to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes via a complex barrier that would be built in Illinois, upstream from Lake Michigan, through a joint agreement between Illinois, Michigan, and the federal government.
“Illinois has upheld our commitments,” Pritzker posted. “Trump must stop this political stunt and start releasing the funds, get the project moving again, and protect the Great Lakes. Illinois owns the land the Brandon Road Project will be built on — Trump cannot just decide to give it away.”
“If he breaks legally-binding agreements, then Illinois will take action,” Pritzker’s post concluded.
The source said no specific legal action has been mapped out – in part because Illinois has not been officially informed that project management is being moved from Joliet to Detroit. But the source said “it makes no sense” to move project management almost 300 miles from where the work is being done.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the state dedicated $50 million in its 2024 fiscal year as part of its end of a funding plan.
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle called Illinois an "unreliable partner" in a post on X shortly after the Army Corps announced the management of the carp barrier project was moving to Michigan. In contrast, he said, Michigan "has been a good partner and stands to benefit more than any other state."
It is not clear exactly what the reassignment of project management could mean for Michigan or Illinois in terms of jobs, federal funding, or other benefits.
This newest twist in the billion-dollar effort to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes also puts on display Pritzker’s more aggressive approach versus Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s more conciliatory approach to working with Trump.
Whitmer’s office had no comment on the specific controversy, other than a pledge to keep the Great Lakes safe from a ravenous invasive species.
"Governor Whitmer is committed to protecting our Great Lakes from invasive carp, and that’s why she has worked with Illinois and the federal administration to get the Brandon Road project moving forward with urgency,” said Whitmer Press Secretary Stacey LaRouche.
“This will help protect 1.5 million jobs that generate more than $60 billion in wages a year across the entire region," LaRouche said. "Governor Whitmer will continue to work to get the job done so we can protect our lakes and power economic growth for generations to come."
