Kansas officials are pressing the federal
government to move ahead with construction of a new biosecurity lab
near Kansas State University.
They’re doing so even though a report Friday from the National
Research Council said there’s still no good assessment of how
safely it would operate. The $1.14 billion lab would research
deadly animal diseases.
Kansas Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran sent a letter Friday to
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, demanding she
release $90 million already approved for the National Bio- and
Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback joined them, as did Missouri Sens. Roy
Blunt and Claire McCaskill.
The new report said Homeland Security’s assessment of the lab’s
safety was flawed in predicting little risk of an accidental
release of a dangerous disease.
