Gov. Pritzker Demands President Trump Restart Construction on Brandon Road Interbasin Project

CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker sent a letter to President Donald Trump demanding that his administration immediately restart construction on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project. The administration ordered work stopped at the end of July, and more than a month later the State of Illinois has received no explanation for the stoppage. Governor Pritzker also directed the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to restate its request for an emergency meeting of the project’s Senior Executive Board. ​

“The Great Lakes should not become collateral damage in political games,” Governor Pritzker wrote. “The Brandon Road Project is critical infrastructure designed to stop the spread of invasive carp, and the people of Illinois deserve answers as to why Donald Trump is putting partisanship ahead of protecting one of America's greatest natural resources.” ​

Governor Pritzker's letter comes following an Illinois Department of Natural Resources discovery of several hundred juvenile silver carp roughly 80 miles from Lake Michigan and about 15 miles from the Brandon Road barrier site. It was the first time invasive carp of this size had been found this far upstream since monitoring began in 2010. Invasive carp are continuing to move toward the Great Lakes while the federal government has stopped construction of the infrastructure specifically designed to stop their advance without clear justification. ​

The Great Lakes provide drinking water to tens of millions of Americans and support hundreds of economies, including commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, shipping, manufacturing, agriculture, and countless other businesses across the region. ​

Protecting the Great Lakes and advancing Brandon Road have been priorities for Governor Pritzker since he took office. In 2019, Pritzker authorized Illinois to begin initial engineering work on the project. Five years later, he reached agreement with Michigan and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with the estimated $1.15 billion effort. As a pledged project sponsor, Illinois’ steadfast commitment was crucial to securing the first project construction‑increment award in November 2024. In September 2025, the State also acquired the two critical upland parcels needed to support full project construction.

The Governor’s full letter is available below: ​

IDNR’s full letter is available below:

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