Upper Mississippi Conservation and River Protection Act of 2012 or the Upper Mississippi CARP Act - Directs the Chief of Engineers to: (1) study the feasibility of temporarily closing the lock at the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, or implementing control measures at the lock, including permanently closing the lock, modifying lock operations, or using an alternative technology barrier, to manage the threat of Asian carp traveling up the Mississippi River in Minnesota; and (2) assess the potential impacts, including environmental and economic impacts, of temporarily closing the lock or continuing to operate it and of implementing the control measures or not implementing such measures.
Authorizes the Chief to close the lock upon determining that closure is justified based on the assessment of potential impacts. Requires the Chief to close the lock upon determining that a live adult Asian carp has been captured above Lock and Dam 2 or that a juvenile Asian carp has been captured above Lock and Dam 4. Allows the Chief to reopen the lock upon determining that adequate measures are in place to manage the threat.
Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to incorporate the Upper Mississippi River and tributaries, the Minnesota River, and the St. Croix River into the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework of the Council.
Expresses the sense of Congress that federal agencies researching Asian carp control technologies should partner with state and local shareholders, giving priority to collaborative partnerships in which such shareholders contribute to the cost of the research.