Leaders Press For Bio-Defense Lab Funding

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.