Thursday, June 22, 2006

Bond Secures $5 Million for Biotech Center at Mizzou

Senate Committee Passes Ag Funding Measure, Watershed Projects Included

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Kit Bond today announced that he has secured $5 million in federal funds for the National Plant and Genetics Security Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia, one of his top funding priorities this year.

“The research done here will result in better health and better nutrition for all of us. When scientists find safer and more environmentally-friendly ways to kill insects and weeds, farmers can produce more food at a lower price,” said Bond. “When they study the genetic make-up of corn and soybeans, they help farmers grow more nutritious crops, which will translate into better health for American families and families around the world.”

Bond secured the $5 million for the Center in the fiscal year 2007 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The bill passed the full Senate Appropriations Committee today.

The federal dollars will be used to construct a National Plant Genetics and Security Center. The facility will be architecturally and programmatically integrated into the existing Life Sciences Center on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. In previous years, Bond secured $11 million for the Agriculture Research Service at Mizzou, which focuses on biological control of insects, cropping systems and water quality, and plant genetics.

Bond has been Congress' leading advocate of the new biotechnology revolution, earmarking over $450 million for plant genomics. He has secured $31 million for the Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia and millions for facilities in Kansas City, St. Louis and the Bootheel, including the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Missouri Botanical Garden and the University of Missouri Greenhouse.

Senator Bond also secured over $10 million in funding for key watershed projects to provide safe drinking water to areas in need. The projects are listed below:

* East Locust Creek $5.5 million

* Big Creek-Hurricane Creek $1.8 million

* West Fork of Big Creek $2.3 million

* Caldwell County Little Otter Creek $430,000

Before being signed into law the agriculture spending bill must be passed by the full U.S. Senate and reconciled with the House of Representatives' bill.

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