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Senator Roberts- The merits are on our side; Manhattan makes th
Kansas U.S. Senator Pat Roberts announced July 11 that the state of Kansas took a major step forward with the advancement of the Manhattan site to the final rounds of site selection for the new National Bio and Agro Defense Facility. The Department of Homeland Security originally considered 17 sites in 12 states and narrowed down the sites under consideration to five. "Kansas has so much to celebrate with the decision to include Manhattan in the list of sites still under consideration," Senator Roberts said. "While both Leavenworth and Manhattan had excellent qualifications, there is no mistaking the big win for Kansas. There is still much work to be done, but our state can be proud that we are considered one of the premier centers of biological and agricultural research, businesses and education. The merits are on our side." The NBAF would replace the aging Plum Island facility, the federal government's most secure location for animal disease research. The facility will be the premier biosecurity research laboratory in the nation and the world. It will be a $451 million, 500,000 square foot building that will create as many as 500 high-paying, scientific federal jobs in the state of Kansas, plus will bring additional jobs in research partnerships in the state. Over a 20 year period, it is estimated that the facility would have a $3.5 billion impact on the Kansas economy. The four to five year construction time line for the facility is expected to create 1,500 construction jobs. The next step in the site selection process will be an environmental impact study projected to be completed in 2008. Upon completion of the studies, DHS will then choose the location of the new NBAF. Construction is set to begin 2010. In a rare address to a joint session of the Kansas House and Senate in February, Senator Roberts called competition for the NBAF "one of the most exciting scientific and economic development opportunities to ever come before the state of Kansas. Rarely do we have the opportunity to work together on a project so large, that we can honestly say it has the potential to impact the lives of all Kansans, our children and grandchildren, and economy of the state for years to come. The building will be one of the most technologically advanced labs in the world. It would be a gem on the Kansas prairie." Senator Roberts was appointed by Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to be Honorary Chairman of the Kansas NBAF Task Force. Recently, Senator Roberts' efforts to showcase the merits of locating the NBAF in Kansas include sending a letter, signed by the Kansas Congressional delegation, to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. Roberts has also hosted key decision makers within DHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on tours of the significant bio and agro-defense research expertise already present in Kansas. In May, Roberts hosted DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Jay Cohen on a tour of Kansas State University's Biosecurity Research Institute in Pat Roberts Hall and on a tour of the proposed site for Leavenworth. Senator Roberts sent staff to Plum Island to assess first-hand ongoing research and future needs. In February, Roberts' staff also hosted DHS officials on a tour the Biosecurity Research Institute. Senator Roberts' efforts to bring the NBAF to Kansas began in 2005 when the Congress approved funding for site selection and preconstruction planning of a new NBAF to replace Plum Island. Senator Roberts began working with Kansas State University officials and encouraged the University and the state to make a proposal for locating this facility in Kansas. Since that time, Senator Roberts has worked on bringing the NBAF to Kansas, personally speaking with key Administration officials. Roberts is a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Date: 7/12/07
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