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Agriculture on the High Plains
Kansas preferred NBAF location
Johnson: One of the things we emphasized was the proximity to research capabilities and Kansas had a very attractive package in regards to the vet school and ag school. They had the bio research institute there. They had a lot of food and agriculture programs that are already in existence at Kansas State. And so that was a very attractive thing for the committee. They also have a workforce we can draw off of. In addition, they have acquisition capabilities. They've offered the land and a very competitive in-kind contribution package to offset the cost; and the community acceptance is very strong.
A task force was formed in Kansas, composed of politicians, scientists, farmers and more, specifically to create a compelling case for the selection of Manhattan. U.S. Senator Sam Brownback is on the task force and says he is giddy that Manhattan has been chosen.
Brownback: The animal health industry is primarily located in a zone between Manhattan, Kansas, and Columbia, Missouri, about 35% of the industry is there. This will be a huge centerpiece of scientists and researches associated with that that is going to help scale that industry up even more and bring more intellectual firepower into it.
Brownback says that money has been appropriated for NBAF to move forward, but the appropriations committee will have to continue doing so. Brownback doesn't think funding will be a problem, though.
Brownback: This is one of the key things that we need to do on upping our security in biological and agricultural areas, so I believe this will make it on through even in difficult economic times, difficult funding times for the federal government.
DHS spokesman Jamie Johnson says the groundbreaking on the 451 million dollar facility would begin by the end of fiscal year 2010 and have a four year construction period. NBAF would be ready in 2015. Tom Thornton is the president of the Kansas Bioscience Authority. Thornton says the principle purpose of NBAF is to protect American agriculture, but the economic impact in Kansas will be noticeable.
Thornton: During construction it will employ between one thousand and fifteen hundred jobs. During its normal operations approximately 500 individuals, 300 of whom will be scientists. Its annual operating budget will probably be around 100 million dollars. It's certainly a very big economic impact.
Research to be conducted at NBAF will be on eight different diseases, 5 of which are of a hazard level that can be studied at the Biosecurity Research Institute located at K State. Thornton says there would be room for the five pathogens to be studied right now, which is more than is being researched at Plum Island, the current national bio-containment facility.
Thornton: The punchline is this. The NBAF will be completed in 2015, but by all accounts these foreign animal diseases are the soft underbelly of terrorist threat or the soft underbelly of American agriculture. We can't wait until 2015 for these vaccines. Effective a record of decision we can get going on this research now. While the NBAF is being built, during its five-year construction cycle, we can keep the pedal to the metal in this very important research of protecting American agriculture by using the expertise at Kansas State University and the Biosecurity Research Institute.
The thirty day comment period on the final environmental impact statement ends January 12th, DHS spokesman Jamie Johnson says the EIS shows a very low probability of a pathogen being released. I'm Lindsey Fields, HPPR News.
© Copyright 2012, hppr
(2008-12-11)
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GARDEN CITY, KAN.
(hppr) -
The three year competition for the new National Bio and Agro-defense Facility is almost over. The NBAF will be a bio-containment facility for studying foreign animal and animal-to-human diseases. Last week the Department of Homeland Security announced that out of the six finalists for NBAF, Manhattan, Kansas, was the recommended location. Tomorrow, December 12th, begins a 30 day comment period. Any comments made during this time will be reviewed before the final decision is made on January 12th. DHS Spokesman Jamie Johnson says that by far Kansas had more strengths than the other sites.
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Johnson: One of the things we emphasized was the proximity to research capabilities and Kansas had a very attractive package in regards to the vet school and ag school. They had the bio research institute there. They had a lot of food and agriculture programs that are already in existence at Kansas State. And so that was a very attractive thing for the committee. They also have a workforce we can draw off of. In addition, they have acquisition capabilities. They've offered the land and a very competitive in-kind contribution package to offset the cost; and the community acceptance is very strong.
A task force was formed in Kansas, composed of politicians, scientists, farmers and more, specifically to create a compelling case for the selection of Manhattan. U.S. Senator Sam Brownback is on the task force and says he is giddy that Manhattan has been chosen.
Brownback: The animal health industry is primarily located in a zone between Manhattan, Kansas, and Columbia, Missouri, about 35% of the industry is there. This will be a huge centerpiece of scientists and researches associated with that that is going to help scale that industry up even more and bring more intellectual firepower into it.
Brownback says that money has been appropriated for NBAF to move forward, but the appropriations committee will have to continue doing so. Brownback doesn't think funding will be a problem, though.
Brownback: This is one of the key things that we need to do on upping our security in biological and agricultural areas, so I believe this will make it on through even in difficult economic times, difficult funding times for the federal government.
DHS spokesman Jamie Johnson says the groundbreaking on the 451 million dollar facility would begin by the end of fiscal year 2010 and have a four year construction period. NBAF would be ready in 2015. Tom Thornton is the president of the Kansas Bioscience Authority. Thornton says the principle purpose of NBAF is to protect American agriculture, but the economic impact in Kansas will be noticeable.
Thornton: During construction it will employ between one thousand and fifteen hundred jobs. During its normal operations approximately 500 individuals, 300 of whom will be scientists. Its annual operating budget will probably be around 100 million dollars. It's certainly a very big economic impact.
Research to be conducted at NBAF will be on eight different diseases, 5 of which are of a hazard level that can be studied at the Biosecurity Research Institute located at K State. Thornton says there would be room for the five pathogens to be studied right now, which is more than is being researched at Plum Island, the current national bio-containment facility.
Thornton: The punchline is this. The NBAF will be completed in 2015, but by all accounts these foreign animal diseases are the soft underbelly of terrorist threat or the soft underbelly of American agriculture. We can't wait until 2015 for these vaccines. Effective a record of decision we can get going on this research now. While the NBAF is being built, during its five-year construction cycle, we can keep the pedal to the metal in this very important research of protecting American agriculture by using the expertise at Kansas State University and the Biosecurity Research Institute.
The thirty day comment period on the final environmental impact statement ends January 12th, DHS spokesman Jamie Johnson says the EIS shows a very low probability of a pathogen being released. I'm Lindsey Fields, HPPR News.
© Copyright 2012, hppr
