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REGION IN RUNNING FOR LAB; BIOTERRORISM RESEARCH Site would conduct agricultural and animal studies; Proposed Kansas and Missouri sites for the facility make Homeland Security’s initial cut. By Jason Gertzen Kansas leaders are crafting a strong Washington, D.C., lobbying initiative in pursuit of a new $451 million federal bioterrorism research operation. The state’s two proposed locations are among 18 sites in 11 states that made the initial cut by the Department of Homeland Security . Missouri also made the initial cut. Federal officials are seeking a place to build a new National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility that will conduct agricultural and animal studies. It is expected to employ hundreds of scientists, providing a boost to the economy and biotechnology credibility of the winning area. On Wednesday, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius advanced the effort by calling for the creation of a task force to shepherd the project. “With our existing assets such as the world-class food security facility at K-State , the University of Kansas Medical Center , KU Hospital , and the other great medical facilities in the area, along with the promise of a nationally recognized cancer center, Kansas is well-positioned to become a leader in bioscience research,” Sebelius said during her State of the State address in Topeka. Bringing the planned national bio- and agro-terrorism defense facility to Kansas would provide a significant additional boost to the state’s bioscience expansion, Sebelius said. She said she soon would appoint members to the task force assigned to work with the Kansas Bioscience Authority to bring the laboratory to the state. The authority has agreed to provide up to $250,000 to pay for a consultant who would help assemble the application and a lobbyist who would seek the attention of federal officials. Kansas has two sites in the running. One is in Manhattan adjacent to the Biosecurity Research Institute at Kansas State University . The other is near Fort Leavenworth. Missouri’s proposed site is about 2½ miles south of Columbia on land owned by the University of Missouri . Georgia, Texas, California and Kentucky are among the other states vying for the project. Possible sites in Kansas, Missouri:
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