Wednesday, June 13, 2007

National Bio and Agro Defense Facility -- Part 2

In addition to the group in San Antonio mentioned in the post below, a consortium of Oklahoma institutions is also trying to bring the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF) to El Reno, OK. In this piece for KGOU in Oklahoma City, I interviewed the key players trying to bring the lab to the state.

From KGOU's website:

In the coming weeks, the Department of Homeland Security will decide where to build the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility, a proposed 520,000 square foot high-security laboratory that will research cures and vaccines for biological threats such as mad cow disease and bio-weapons. Many lawmakers are clamoring to have the facility and its high-paying jobs in their district. But critics call it unnecessary pork, and say it could present a danger to the surrounding community. Fourteen sites are currently being considered, including one in El Reno.

Guests include Congressman Frank Lucas; Grazinglands Lab Director Jean Steiner; John Kerr, President of the San Antonio-based Southwest Foundation; and Renee Porter, spokesperson for Advancia, the company helping OSU and the Grazinglands lab try to bring the facility to Oklahoma.

Click here to listen to an MP3 of the story.

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