Upper Mississippi River Basin 2015 Priority Asian Carp Projects for USFWS Funding

On June 10, 2014, the President signed into law the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA), Public Law 113-121, authorizing completion of a broad array of agency actions and public projects across the United States. As part of WRRDA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) is authorized, in collaboration with the National Parks Service, and U.S. Geological Survey, to take actions to slow, and eventually eliminate, the spread of Asian carp in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB) and the Ohio River Basin (ORB) and tributaries. Those actions include provision of technical assistance, coordination, best practices, and support to state and local governments engaged in activities to decrease and eliminate the threat.The Service has committed, in part, FY 2015 base funds to the control and elimination of Asian carp from the Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri waters of the UMRB. Other states in the Basin (Iowa and Wisconsin) have chosen no to participate this year in Asian carp control activities in the Basin, funded by the Service. This is notice of intent to award single source grants to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and to the Missouri Department of Conservation without competition under justification 505DM 2.14.B. (4). Competition for the award is not practical as the scope of these projects only these agencies have the authority and resources available to accomplish the Asian carp management and data collection objectives of WRRDA.