Urging the highest levels of safety and oversight in the operation of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.
Impact
The resolution calls for active engagement from South Dakota's congressional delegation and similar representatives from other agricultural states to impose strict regulations on the research activities conducted at NBAF. It expresses concern about the laboratory handling pathogens such as foot and mouth disease and swine fever, considering the facility's location in the heart of America's livestock industry. This could lead to severe repercussions for food security if there were to be an accidental or intentional release of pathogens, resulting in possibly irreversible damage to local economies and public health.
Summary
Senate Concurrent Resolution 606 (SCR606) urges the highest levels of safety and oversight in the operations of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), currently under construction in Manhattan, Kansas. The facility is designed to be a state-of-the-art biocontainment laboratory aimed at researching diseases that pose threats to both public health and the agricultural sector. The resolution emphasizes the critical need for stringent biosafety measures given the facility's capacity to handle highly contagious pathogens, including those that can have devastating effects on livestock and human populations alike.
Contention
Discussion surrounding SCR606 has been marked by concerns regarding the potential risks associated with relocating laboratory contents from the Plum Island Animal Disease Center to a facility located closer to a vast agricultural landscape. Critics of the project have raised questions about the adequacy of safety protocols and risk assessments preceding the facility's construction. Furthermore, the resolution stresses the need for continuous oversight, including annual compliance reports to state authorities, to ensure that all necessary precautions are in place to safeguard both economic interests and public wellbeing.