Durbin, Duckworth Urge Governor Pritzker To Sign Project Partnership Agreement For Brandon Road Project Ahead Of June 30 Deadline
The Project Partnership Agreement is necessary to ensure that the Brandon Road Interbasin Project does not lose valuable federal funding for its construction
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a response letter to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker regarding the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, in which they encouraged the Governor to sign a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) and reiterated their support for the project. The Senators’ letter comes ahead of the June 30, 2024, deadline for the State of Illinois to sign a PPA with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or risk losing significant federal funding that has already been allocated to the project.
“We share your commitment to the successful completion of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP), and have worked to secure a significant federal investment to move the project forward,” the Senators began their letter.
“The BRIP is critical to protecting the Great Lakes from invasive carp. For these federal investments to be used, a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) must be signed by Illinois, Michigan, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). We are pleased that all parties are working to complete the PPA by June 30, 2024, to allow the Corps to coordinate construction with existing lock closures and prevent further delays and cost increases. We are committed to continuing to support the BRIP at the federal level as it moves forward,” the Senators continued.
Durbin and Duckworth underscored the environmental threat of invasive carp, which are poised to overtake the Great Lakes if BRIP is not completed.
“If invasive carp were to become established in the Great Lakes, they would outcompete existing fish populations, damaging ecosystems and significantly impairing the $7 billion Great Lakes economy. The longer we wait to move the BRIP forward, the greater the risk these invasive carp pose to the Great Lakes,” the Senators wrote.
The Senators emphasized that the State of Illinois must sign a PPA before the June 30 deadline to allow the project to move forward.
“If a PPA is not completed by June 30, USACE can no longer allocate resources to Preconstruction Engineering, and Design (PED) of BRIP… Without this coordinated work, the project will face additional delays, likely increasing costs, and creating additional issues for navigation,” the Senators wrote.
“As non-federal sponsors of the project, Illinois and Michigan share financial responsibility for the project, and both states have shown significant commitment to the BRIP through a $10 million joint investment in the PED phase of the project,” the Senators wrote.
Responding to concerns about Illinois bearing the brunt of financing this project, the Senators explained that they previously secured an increase in the federal cost share of both the construction and operations and maintenance of BRIP.
“You have expressed concerns with Illinois taking on sole responsibility for a project that benefits the entire Great Lakes region, and we understand and share those concerns,” the Senators wrote. “That is why we also worked to change the cost share for construction of the BRIP… in the WRDA of 2022 (P.L. 117-263) to 90 percent federal/10 percent non-federal, significantly reducing Illinois’ financial responsibility for the project. In this year’s Senate WRDA of 2024 (S. 4367), we successfully increased Operations, Maintenance, Repair, Replacement and Rehabilitation to a 90 percent federal/10 percent non-federal cost-share.”
The Senators concluded their letter by reiterating the importance of BRIP and thanking both Governor Pritzker and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for their partnership in the project.
“We are encouraged by coordination between Illinois and Michigan to move the project forward—and thank you and Governor Whitmer for your commitment to the BRIP. This project is critically important for Illinois and the Great Lakes. We will continue to work with you to address both immediate and long-term costs of the BRIP and look forward to a continued partnership as we work to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp,” the Senators concluded their letter.
The Brandon Road Project will construct a new engineered channel at Brandon Road in Joliet, Illinois, that will be used to test and deploy a range of technologies that will prevent invasive carp from moving further north to the Great Lakes.
Durbin and Duckworth have been tireless advocates for the Brandon Road Project and finding a comprehensive approach to protecting the Great Lakes from the threat of invasive carp. Through previous Water Resources Development Acts, they secured authorization for design and construction of the Brandon Road Project and increased the federal cost-share for construction of the project. Last month, Durbin and Duckworth announced that they had also secured an increase to the federal cost share for the project’s operation and maintenance costs after the project is completed.
The Senators previously secured $225.8 million in construction funding for the project from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and $47.3 million in the Fiscal Year 2023 government funding bill.
Durbin was also instrumental in forcing the release of the original Brandon Road Study, a draft plan that paved the way for the project, after the Trump Administration stalled the report’s release.
A copy of the letter is available here and below.
June 25, 2024
Dear Governor Pritzker:
Thank you for your letter sent on June 21, 2024. We share your commitment to the successful completion of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP), and have worked to secure a significant federal investment to move the project forward. The BRIP is critical to protecting the Great Lakes from invasive carp. For these federal investments to be used, a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) must be signed by Illinois, Michigan, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). We are pleased that all parties are working to complete the PPA by June 30, 2024, to allow the Corps to coordinate construction with existing lock closures and prevent further delays and cost increases. We are committed to continuing to support the BRIP at the federal level as it moves forward.
The importance of protecting the Great Lakes from invasive carp cannot be ignored. If invasive carp were to become established in the Great Lakes, they would outcompete existing fish populations, damaging ecosystems and significantly impairing the $7 billion Great Lakes economy. The longer we wait to move the BRIP forward, the greater the risk these invasive carp pose the Great Lakes.
If a PPA is not completed by June 30, USACE can longer allocate resources to Preconstruction Engineering, and Design (PED) of BRIP. Completing the PPA prior to this deadline will enable USACE to award construction contracts for the project, allowing construction to be coordinated with a planned lock closure at the Lockport Lock and Dam. Without this coordinated work, the project will face additional delays, likely increasing costs, and creating additional issues for navigation.
We have worked diligently to provide federal support to make the BRIP a reality and protect the Great Lakes. At our urging, Congress authorized the project in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 (P.L. 116-260). We also worked to secure significant federal funding investments for the project, including $225.2 million for construction in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), and an additional $47.33 million in Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328).
As non-federal sponsors of the project, Illinois and Michigan share financial responsibility for the project, and both states have shown significant commitment to the BRIP through a $10 million joint investment in the PED phase of the project. You have expressed concerns with Illinois taking on sole responsibility for a project that benefits the entire Great Lakes region, and we understand and share those concerns.
That is why we also worked to change the cost share for construction of the BRIP in WRDA of 2020 from a 50 percent federal/50 percent non-federal cost-share to 80 percent federal/20 percent non-federal, and then again improved the construction cost share in the WRDA of 2022 (P.L. 117-263) to 90 percent federal/10 percent non-federal, significantly reducing Illinois’ financial responsibility for the project. In this year’s Senate WRDA of 2024 (S. 4367), we successfully increased Operations, Maintenance, Repair, Replacement and Rehabilitation to a 90 percent federal/10 percent non-federal cost-share. In coordination with the State of Illinois, we supported additional federal assistance for the BRIP in the Senate WRDA of 2024; however, those requests were not included in the legislation when it was marked up by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. We remain committed to working to reduce Illinois’ financial responsibility in any possible legislative vehicle.
We are encouraged by coordination between Illinois and Michigan to move the project forward—and thank you and Governor Whitmer for your commitment to the BRIP. This project is critically important for Illinois and the Great Lakes. We will continue to work with you to address both immediate and long-term costs of the BRIP and look forward to a continued partnership as we work to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp.
Sincerely,
-30-