Federal officials in Michigan for Asian carp talks

By JOHN FLESHER, AP Environmental Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - The Obama administration's point man in the fight to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes is giving Michigan residents an opportunity to sound off on the government's performance and plans.

John Goss is leading a delegation of federal officials attending back-to-back public meetings Thursday in Traverse City. The officials will outline their strategy and take comments on a long-range study of how to prevent the carp and other invasive species from migrating between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.

Environmentalists, Michigan and four other Great Lakes states want to sever the man-made link between the two aquatic systems. The Army Corps of Engineers is conducting the study and says that's one option.

Activists also say the study's planned completion date of 2015 isn't soon enough.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)