NBAF Moves to Environmental Impact Step

August 1, 2007 — 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it has narrowed the search for a site to build the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF) down to five applicants and will begin preparing Environmental Impact Statements for the selected sites.

DHS will be conducting a number of public hearings to discuss concerns regarding the five remaining sites which includes:

• Manhattan Campus Site Manhattan,Kansas: This alternative would locate the NBAF within what is identified as the Kansas City Health Corridor on the Kansas State University Campus.
• South Milledge Avenue Site, Athens, Georgia: This alternative would locate the NBAF on the campus of the University of Georgia Whitehall Farm.
• Texas Research Park Site, San Antonio, Texas: This alternative would locate the NBAF on the land of the Texas Research Park in San Antonio Texas.
• Umstead Research Farm Site, Butner, North Carolina: This alternative would locate the NBAF on the Umstead Research Farm site in Butner, North Carolina.
• Flora Industrial Park Site, Flora, Mississippi: This alternative would locate the NBAF in Flora Industrial Park in Flora, Mississippi.

In addition, two other options will also be considered. First, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center could be considered as a reasonable alternative. If selected, the new facility would be built on the DHS-owned island off the coast of New York. Second, the department will also evaluate a No Action alternative which would result in the NBAF not being built and DHS would continue to use PIADC with necessary investments in facility upgrades, replacements, and repairs so that it could continue to operate at its current capability.

Following completion of the public hearings in late September, DHS will begin the environmental impact evaluation process and plans to identify its final site selection in the fall of 2008.

Locations for the public meetings can be found in the Federal Register notice.