DHS Narrows NBAF Site Selection

July 11, 2007 — 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has selected five sites to advance to the next phase of the selection process for locating the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF).

The five sites in alphabetical order are:

• Flora Industrial Park, Madison County, Miss.
• Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan.
• Texas Research Park, San Antonio, Texas
• Umstead Research Farm, Granville County, N.C.
• University of Georgia/South Milledge Ave., Athens, Ga.

The next phase involves conducting an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS will be used by the department to determine the final site which will be announced in early fiscal year 2009.

When completed, the $450 million facility will address biological and agricultural security risks in a state-of-the-art Bio Safety Level 4 (BSL-4) facility. The facility will be equipped with numerous laboratories to conduct research involving diseases that may be transmitted between humans, diseases that may be transmitted from animals to humans, as well as foreign animal diseases. The NBAF mission includes the development of vaccine countermeasures for foreign animal diseases and development of advanced test and evaluation capabilities.

[Ed. This facility will replace the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC), but will have a much broader mission. Whereas the PIADC's mission was to develop countermeasures and training to protect animal agriculture, the NBAF will have a broader public health mission including zoonotic diseases and will be a multi-agency operation involving DHS, USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS). Animal agriculture groups have expressed concern that the direction of the new facility, under the direction of DHS, may reduce capacity for addressing animal agriculture issues. When DHS took over management of PIADC in 2003, all research on African swine fever was discontinued to finance the takeover.]

Source:
DHS Press Release, July 11, 2007