The New York Times has the story:
Government Recommends Kansas for Biodefense Lab
Published: December 3, 2008
Filed at 6:42 p.m. ETWASHINGTON (AP)—The government has recommended a site in Kansas for a new $450 million laboratory to study biological threats such as anthrax and foot-and-mouth disease, officials said Wednesday.
The Homeland Security Department’s choice of Manhattan, in central Kansas, beat out intense competition from sites in Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas.
Agency officials disclosed their decision to several lawmakers late Tuesday, according to lawmakers and staff familiar with the briefings. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because an announcement will not come until later this week.
The choice is not final until sometime after a 30-day period for comments on the decision, which could face legal challenges from losing states.
A North Carolina group, the Granville Non-Violent Action Team (GNAT) worked to “stop the proposed National Bio Agro Defense Facility (NBAF) lab, which would bring a number of foreign animal diseases to a site on the Umstead Research Farm in Butner for study, including some known to be transferrable to humans.”
GNAT has argued that the facility represents a significant biohazard to the surrounding community if placed on the mainland, rather than on an island or other isolated location.
In an earlier story, Mountain Xpress reported that North Carolina was being considered as the future site for the lab.
— Jeff Fobes
