Manhattan, KS Finalist for NBAF

Manhattan Site One of Five Selected for Further Review and Study

MANHATTAN, Kan. - July 11, 2007 - The Kansas Bioscience Authority announced today that Manhattan, Kansas has been selected as one of five finalists for the $450 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. This decision comes after months of intensive review by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of 17 locations in 12 states around the country. Manhattan, along with each of the other finalists, will now work with DHS to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, which consists of an extremely thorough and detailed review and analysis of the site location.

The Manhattan site is located on the campus of Kansas State University, directly adjacent to the new Biosecurity Research Institute and near the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Manhattan's university research setting would immediately provide those working at NBAF with synergies and opportunities for cooperation and collaboration with these organizations that they would not otherwise have access to at other sites.

"We believe Manhattan offers the perfect location for NBAF. Our nationally recognized expertise in agriculture, zoonotic emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, and livestock medicine is on par with any organization in the world," said Dr. Ron Trewyn, Vice Provost for Research, Kansas State University. "Coupled with the on-going collaboration with our colleagues in Leavenworth, as well as the success we have had with the Biosecurity Research Institute, and we believe that we are well-suited to host, and even accelerate, the research planned for NBAF."

With five other sites still in the running, it will be important to continue to demonstrate that Manhattan and the surrounding region have the necessary infrastructure, assets, workforce, and community support to host the facility. The lab is projected to have an economic impact of more than $3.5 billion over the first 20 years of operation. Construction of the facility alone is projected to employ 1,000 workers.

"We're pleased to have met this key milestone. This is the culmination of a great deal of hard work for many of those involved, in both Manhattan and Leavenworth, who collaborated with the goal of siting this facility in Kansas," said Tom Thornton. "Now it becomes our job to showcase why our strong assets throughout the region, including those in Missouri, make Manhattan such a great fit for hosting this facility in the Midwest."

The next step in the site selection process is called an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which will be conducted by a multi-disciplinary group hired by DHS. This process is scheduled to begin within a few months and will review the impact that the development of such a facility would have on the surrounding environment. This may include a review of the ecological and environmental impacts, geological hazards, and an assessment of other aspects that may have relevant impact on the final decision to site the facility at the Manhattan location.

Following the completion of these EIS studies, which are scheduled to be completed in October 2008, DHS expects to name which of the locations will be chosen to host the facility. Construction is then expected to begin in 2010, with completion in 2014.

NBAF is a $451 million, state-of-the-art national laboratory being commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security to research and develop diagnostic capabilities for foreign animal and zoonotic diseases that can affect public health, animal health, or the food supply.