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Measure gives FDA lab more good news
Friday August 03, 2007
The House passes a bill that says its funding can't be used to close labs, including Lakewood's.
By Zach Fox, Denver Post Staff Writer
Scientists at Lakewood's U.S. Food and Drug Administration laboratory received a boost Thursday in their bid to stave off the facility's closure.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an FDA appropriations bill with a stipulation that none of the money could be used to close any laboratories. The FDA first proposed in May to consolidate its facilities from 13 labs to six.
One of the facilities to be eliminated was in Lakewood.
"It would give us a trump card against the upper FDA administration if they try and close us," said Roger Farmer, a microbiologist at the local laboratory.
The Senate should vote on an appropriations bill with similar language soon.
The bill comes on the heels of more good news for the scientists delivered Wednesday, when the FDA announced a "temporary" suspension of the closure plan so it could re-evaluate its effects.
President Bush could still veto the bill, and it does not offer complete protection because the FDA could close the laboratories as long as it does not use funds appropriated from this bill.
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, does not expect the president to veto the bill.
"We think that given some of the food-safety concerns that we've seen from both abroad and even domestically, the last thing we need to be doing is closing these labs," DeGette said.
Farmer and others have said that most of the more than 50 scientists at Lakewood would not be willing to move to another facility.
Farmer said the FDA's proposal called for the scientists to relocate to a Jefferson, Ark., facility.
"We feel that that is an unworkable proposition. ... Arkansas is a different culture. It's OK, but it's not something we want to entertain," said Farmer, who also serves as a union representative.
Farmer said the Arkansas laboratory would be the closest one to Denver if the closure plan goes through.
He said that could affect public safety because the Lakewood laboratory can identify a local food contamination the same day, whereas it would take longer to ship and test it at another laboratory, and "there could be injuries there in the interim."
FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach argued during a July 17 congressional hearing that the consolidation plan would save money and increase the FDA's efficiency.
The House bill passed 237-18.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an FDA appropriations bill with a stipulation that none of the money could be used to close any laboratories. The FDA first proposed in May to consolidate its facilities from 13 labs to six.
One of the facilities to be eliminated was in Lakewood.
"It would give us a trump card against the upper FDA administration if they try and close us," said Roger Farmer, a microbiologist at the local laboratory.
The Senate should vote on an appropriations bill with similar language soon.
The bill comes on the heels of more good news for the scientists delivered Wednesday, when the FDA announced a "temporary" suspension of the closure plan so it could re-evaluate its effects.
President Bush could still veto the bill, and it does not offer complete protection because the FDA could close the laboratories as long as it does not use funds appropriated from this bill.
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, does not expect the president to veto the bill.
"We think that given some of the food-safety concerns that we've seen from both abroad and even domestically, the last thing we need to be doing is closing these labs," DeGette said.
Farmer and others have said that most of the more than 50 scientists at Lakewood would not be willing to move to another facility.
Farmer said the FDA's proposal called for the scientists to relocate to a Jefferson, Ark., facility.
"We feel that that is an unworkable proposition. ... Arkansas is a different culture. It's OK, but it's not something we want to entertain," said Farmer, who also serves as a union representative.
Farmer said the Arkansas laboratory would be the closest one to Denver if the closure plan goes through.
He said that could affect public safety because the Lakewood laboratory can identify a local food contamination the same day, whereas it would take longer to ship and test it at another laboratory, and "there could be injuries there in the interim."
FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach argued during a July 17 congressional hearing that the consolidation plan would save money and increase the FDA's efficiency.
The House bill passed 237-18.