By Tim Carpenter | The Topeka Capital-Journal

A $1B lab designed for research on deadly animal-borne disease

A federal appropriations bill filed Monday contains more than $400 million for construction of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility adjacent to Kansas State University for research on the planet's most toxic animal-borne diseases and biological threats.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Manhattan Republican and appropriations committee member, said in an interview anticipated approval by the Republican-led House and Democratic-controlled Senate — perhaps this week — and endorsement by President Barack Obama would deliver convincing evidence the $1 billion project had survived budget chaos in Washington, D.C., and would be built in Manhattan.

"In my view, for those who have been wondering if NBAF will ever really happen, this allows us to reach the conclusion that it will," Moran said. "Pretty strong indication that this issue is now, finally, behind us."

Years of campaigning to attract the world-class research laboratory to Kansas has been a sustained bipartisan effort by politicians and university officials. The secure facility at Kansas State would replace a 1950s-era laboratory located on Plum Island, N.Y.

Under an agreement developed by House and Senate negotiators, $404 million would be contained in a sweeping omnibus appropriations bill. This allocation and previous federal expenditures combined with the state's $200 million commitment equates to about two-thirds of the required total. Additional legislation will be required to complete federal funding of NBAF, Moran said.

"There is no doubt that NBAF will be built in Manhattan," said Gov. Sam Brownback, who started working on the project while still in the U.S. Senate. "Many members of the Kansas congressional delegation have worked tirelessly on this for many years."

Advocates for NBAF pointed to the likelihood of biological threats and the need to strengthen resilience by developing the capability for production of vaccines and countermeasures to diseases spread from animals to humans. NBAF could directly employ about 300 people in Kansas, but have a wider economic impact by drawing companies to the region.

Collaboration between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Agriculture led to a three-year site selection process that concluded in 2008 with identification of Manhattan as the preferred locale for NBAF. About 30 potential sites were considered for location of a unit capable of work on foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, African swine fever, Nipah virus and other lethal maladies.

On the Kansas State campus, it would be located east of the university's football stadium and adjacent to a biosecurity research institute named for U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.

Preliminary work on the site for a 500,000-square-foot building started in 2010. The federal government acquired the property in 2012 and issued contracts for construction of a dedicated power plant in 2013. There was an official groundbreaking ceremony last year, but the larger financial commitment for constructing the building was complicated by depths of the national recession and political pressure to curtail government spending.

The plan to have NBAF under operation in 2015 was dropped and a more likely deadline would for that event would be 2018. Over the years, the cost of the research laboratory mushroomed from about $650 million to at least $1 billion.

Moran said the new appropriations bill represented a critical step in development of Kansas as a research epicenter.

"This funding puts us one step closer to constructing a modern, world-class facility that will ultimately create jobs for Kansans in the fields of engineering, science and technology," he said.

NBAF is designed with robust safety and security features that include specialized air and water decontamination systems, technologies for handling solid waste at the lab and structural elements to shield the building from weather hazards.

"This is great news for the Kansas economy, Kansas jobs, and confirms NBAF as a federal priority and a critical need for our nation," said Rep. Lynn Jenkins, a Republican who represents Topeka in Congress. "This project has a history of broad-based bipartisan support and I will continue to do everything I can to support and move this bill forward."