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Role of politics debated in selection of lab siteTOPEKA, Kan. (AP)--Officials at Kansas State University still believe the site of a new national biodefense lab they're pursuing will be determined on merit, but other Kansans worry about politics interfering. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is considering a site on the Manhattan campus for the $451 million National Bio- and Agro Defense Facility. It expects to make a decision later this year. Sites in Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas also are under consideration, as is building the new lab on Plum Island, N.Y., where the existing one is located. Internal documents obtained by The Associated Press show the department named Flora, Miss., as a finalist even though it ranked lower than others, including Leavenworth. Mississippi's congressional delegation includes the Democratic chairman of the department's oversight committee in the House and the senior Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee. "Kansans should be able to trust that, moving forward, the selection process will be fully transparent and accountable," U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, a Democrat whose 2nd District of eastern Kansas includes both Manhattan and Leavenworth, told the Lawrence Journal-World. But Kansas State University officials aren't alarmed. "We truly believe we have a competitive package," said Ron Trewyn, the university's vice president for research, told The Topeka Capital-Journal. "My hope will be that it comes down to the merits." Scott Rusk, manager of a Kansas State University center conducting bioscience research, said he doesn't believe the selection process had been undermined by politics. "Everybody has been working with the understanding that the NBAF selection was not going to be political," he said. Tom Thornton, president of the Kansas Bioscience Authority and supporter of Manhattan's site, said Kansas remains "uniquely qualified" to help protect the American food supply and agriculture economy. "Kansas' strategy is unchanged," he said. "As we have from the beginning, we are encouraging the Department of Homeland Security to keep the selection process focused on the merits." But state Rep. Marti Crow, a Leavenworth Democrat, was angered by the Mississippi site being named a finalist over her hometown. "You get a good grade and get eliminated?" Crow said. "That just isn't fair." 8/18/08 Date: 8/14/08 Advertisement
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