The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it won’t order the closure of Chicago-area waterways to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River, according to the Associated Press.

The appeal came from Michigan and other states in the region. The Court has already denied requests from Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin twice.  

The states were hoping to get the court order while a pending federal lawsuit that would close off shipping locks works through the courts. The lawsuit came from five states, including Minnesota.

On Thursday, the Obama administration announced it would spend $51.5 million this year to help protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp.

In late January, a group representing states and cities in the Great Lakes area proposed a $9.5 billion engineering project to prevent the spread of the invasive carp by separating the lakes from the Mississippi watershed area near Chicago.

Meanwhile, a University of Minnesota professor is seeking state funds to establish an invasive species center at the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Sciences.