The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress

Abstract

The agricultural and food infrastructure of the United States is potentially susceptible to terrorist attack using biological pathogens. In addition to the impacts of such an attack on the economy, some animal diseases could potentially be transmitted to humans. (These diseases are known as zoonotic diseases.) Scientific and medical research on plant and animal diseases may lead to the discovery and development of new diagnostics and countermeasures, reducing the risk and impact of a successful terrorist attack. To safeguard the United States against animal disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) engages in foreign animal disease research at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC). With the formation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003, the PIADC facility was transferred from USDA to DHS, though USDA continues its research program at the facility. The DHS has identified the PIADC facility as too old and limited to continue to be the primary facility performing this research. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9 tasks the Secretaries of Agriculture and Homeland Security to develop a plan to provide safe, secure, and state-of-the-art agriculture biocontainment laboratories for research and development of diagnostic capabilities and medical countermeasures for foreign animal and zoonotic diseases. To meet these obligations, DHS has announced plans to construct a new facility, the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). This facility would house high-containment laboratories able to handle the pathogens currently under investigation at PIADC, as well as other pathogens of interest. The DHS plans to select the site in 2008 and commission the new laboratories in 2014. The final construction costs would depend on the site location and actual construction time lines, but are projected to exceed $460 million. The plans announced by DHS to establish the NBAF have raised several issues that may interest Congress.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 10, 2007
Accession Number
ADA473617

Entities

People

  • Dana A. Shea
  • Frank Gottron
  • Jim D. Monke

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agriculture
  • Animal Diseases
  • California
  • Congress
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Domestic Animals
  • Environment
  • Governments
  • Homeland Security
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Law
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mouth Diseases
  • National Governments
  • Site Selection
  • United States
  • United States Government

Readers

  • Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Strategic Security Studies