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GAO Says Infectious Pathogens & Tornadoes Don’t Mix In an article on the MercuryNews.com website, Carol D. Leonnig cites a government report that says the DHS justified its decision using a “rushed, flawed” study. Researchers at the proposed $700 million research lab would study the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, Japanese encephalitis, Rift Valley fever, and other infectious diseases and pathogens. Such research, until now, has been confined to a federal research facility on a remote island at the tip of Long Island, N.Y. “Critics of moving the operation to the mainland argue that a release could lead to widespread contamination that could kill livestock, devastate a farm economy and endanger humans,” Leonnig writes. The DHS assessed the risk of accidental release of toxins on mainland locations and subsequently decided to go ahead with the proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. But a preliminary report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the DHS’ methods for assessing the risk were inadequate and outdated. Michael Guiffre, an attorney for a Texas consortium that wanted the DHS facility built in San Antonio, told Leonnig the agency has wasted millions trying to justify its Kansas mainland location. “They call it ‘Tornado Alley’ for a reason,” he said, adding that public officials seem more concerned about erecting a new building than about what’s best for the general public. To read the full article, click here:
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