U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), along with other Great Lakes senators, are calling for urgent action to stop the spread of Asian Carp and other invasive species. 

In a letter sent Thursday to John Goss, the Asian Carp director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the senators asked for the official's help "in urging the Chicago Area Waterway System Advisory Committee to make recommendations for short- and medium-term solutions to safeguard the Great Lakes from Asian carp and other invasive species as soon as possible." 

Back in January, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers submitted a long-awaited study to Congress detailing ways to prevent Asian carp and other invasive species from taking over the Great Lakes.

The report, the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS), "included several near-term alternatives, as well as more complex, multi-billion dollar, long-term projects, which continue to be debated," the senators wrote in their letter to Goss.

“While disagreements about prevention measures remain, the Asian carp threat persists, and urgent action is needed. The immediate path forward should include a set of short- and medium-term actions, which should be able to garner regional consensus more readily to strengthen protection for the Great Lakes,” the lawmakers added. “As the Asian Carp Director, we ask for your leadership to help guide a productive dialogue among all impacted stakeholders that includes a focus on practical, immediate solutions with broad support across all impacted stakeholders.”

The Chicago Area Waterway System Advisory Committee is currently discussing Asian Carp solutions with regional stakeholders.

Click through to read the full letter.