Playing Politics With Biodefense

AP: Homeland Security Department Documents Show Experts Ignored In Laboratory Site Choice

(AP)  Flora, Mississippi, is not in Thompson's congressional district. But the consortium of public and private organizations working to attract the lab includes Tougaloo College, where Thompson received his bachelor's degree, and Jackson State University, where he was awarded his master's degree.

A spokeswoman for Cochran, Margaret McPhillips, denied that the department relied on the scoring system described in the documents obtained by the AP. She dismissed it as rumor.

"Our congressional delegation doesn't know about a scoring system," McPhillips wrote in an e-mail to the AP. "Mississippi's governor does not know of one. DHS is in Mississippi right now for a site visit and just confirmed with us that there is no scoring system.

"Mississippi has put forth a compelling application and it does not surprise me that someone might be trying to diminish the strength of our proposal by spreading this rumor," McPhillips wrote.

Some lawmakers already skeptical over the department's plans said Cohen's intervention on behalf of Mississippi appears improper.

"It appears that the undersecretary responsible for this program may have corrupted the site selection process by putting his thumb on the scale in favor of a particular site and its contractor, in violation of his own rules and over the objections of his own advisers," said Rep. John Dingell, Democrat-Michigan. "This raises the question of whether DHS is interested in bioresearch or just shameless empire building."

Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, held oversight hearings in May examining the risks of building the new lab on the U.S. mainland near livestock herds. The facility would replace an existing 24-acre research complex on isolated Plum Island, about 100 miles northeast of New York City in the Long Island Sound. Besides foot-and-mouth disease, researchers also would study African swine fever, Japanese encephalitis, Rift Valley fever and the Hendra and Nipah viruses. Construction would begin in 2010 and take four years.

"If any of the five finalists scored lower than those eliminated from the process, we've got a big problem on our hands," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, Democrat-Missouri. Her state's proposal also scored higher than Mississippi's, but Homeland Security rejected it over "growing negative community feedback."

In his memo, Cohen acknowledged the government evaluation committees graded Mississippi's site as merely "satisfactory" with scores of 72 and 75 in its research and work force categories, respectively. The Mississippi site's overall grade was 81, or "very good," which still was lower than nine other rejected U.S. sites.

"While I take the committees' concerns to heart, I do not concur with the low scores," Cohen wrote.

A department spokeswoman, Amy Kudwa, said the agency's internal committee reviews "did not appropriately consider the unique contributions certain consortia committed to make in their proposals." Mississippi, for example, promised to work closely with Battelle Memorial Institute, a Homeland Security contractor that already manages some national labs elsewhere for the Homeland Security and Energy departments.

Besides Flora, Mississippi, the U.S. locations under consideration for the new lab are Athens, Georgia; Manhattan, Kansas; Butner, North Carolina; and San Antonio, Texas.

The nine sites rejected as finalists that also earned high scores than Mississippi's location were: Leavenworth, Kansas; a different location in Athens, Georgia; two other sites in San Antonio, Texas; the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri; Beltsville; College Station, Texas; Madison; and Tracy, California, near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

[gatofeo]

I''m curious as to why Utah is not even considered.
U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground is the nation''s leading center for the testing of defenses against chemical and biological agents.
It''s in the remote desert, 80 road miles from Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City is one of the top 10 places to move to today. It''s schools are highly rated. It''s recreational opportunities are nearly boundless. The state welcomes economic development.
Brigham Young University and the University of Utah are very highly rated.
Yet, Dugway doesn''t even place?
Dugway''s facilities are deep in the remote desert, within 800,000 acres of desert scrubland and craggy mountains. There are only a few ranches near it, and the nearest town is on the other side of an 11,000 foot mountain range.
Build the center where the experts already work and some reside: Dugway Proving Ground.

[tootall10142]

WHERE ARE YOU PATRIOT 1234?

[tootall10142]

Where is all the waste matieral from this facility going to go? Well in the south they will do what they have since 1935 they will bury it.In the south there is thousands of acres of farm land foreclosed on by the agricultire and the fmha.these lands will make great dump sites and filteration stations.450 plus million in the southern sections of mississippi would be a economic boost to the region how ever most of the contracts will come from other sources than the south.

[deacon20081]

I guess George thought "Brownie" needed another job.

[txlakeside]

yep .... evrywhone i kno is just diing to mve to the 2nd lest edumacated stat in the natshun. Thar is so meny resuns to go to Misissippi.

I bet the dumb as dirt "SHRUB" can not even spell Mississippi or "BIODEFENSE"!

And for you fear monger repubs, who fear the Chinese, remember it was an uneducated white boy that "blew" up a building in Okla. There are thousands just like McVie in the South! "The South will rise again" is not just a bumper sticker but a way of life and a theology for poor, backwoods, ignorant, rednecks in the south!

[sistatee-2009]

They picked Mississippi because if any bio hazardous bugs escaped, they could nuke the place without destroying anything of value.

[wogerwabbit]

Typical politicians. Ask not whst you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you.

[homespunlady]

Wasn''t Mississippi hit pretty hard and without power, etc with HURRICANE Katrina?
Is this planned to be built on the land that was CLEARED by that hurricane?

[cdfoxtrot2]

That''s Bush for you! All we hear about, day in, day out, is the "war on terror" and "nash-anal shakuridy". Yet, when it comes down to it, politics triumphs good decision-making. Just goes to show there is no real threat and all this "war on terror" B.S. is hype, to keep the dollars flowing to the industrial military complex. Look forward to four more years of status quo under McBush if he wins in November.

McBush = Status Quo = Politics as Usual

[homespunlady]

Plum Island was bad enough. th "accidental" releases at least could be contained and were mainly species other than human specific - such as foot and mouth disease.
Now the NEW plan is to MIX playing with BOTH animal AND human pathogens at the NEW lab.

We nearly DECIMATED all but 1 species of hybrid crop plant in the world in a genetically modified soil bacteria experiment held in the Northwest. That last minute discovery and stop was too close for comfort.

Murphy''s Law is a fact - not an option! Yet arrogant fools will keep testing it until the end.

[homespunlady]

Oh BOY!!!
Let''s RECREATE the novel "The Stand" from a horror writer''s imagination to REALITY - just what the arrogant did for the novel about the sinking of the ship called the Titan - which became reality with the Titanic.

Does that make Stephen King a psychic?

[acez2008]

No one part of the country deserves research facilites. Leave it on Long Island - why?

The question is will the government prevent the Chinese from stealing secrets in Mississippi any better than they have anywhere else? Probably not.

[realpatriot1]

I''m glad to hear that growing community opposition is a reason for being eliminated because Butner, NC is a finalist and the locals are speaking loudly and clearly in opposition.

Mississippi can have it and I figure they will get it because: 1) They want it, and, 2) They are a reliably Republican state and this will be a surce of controversy like Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

[nextgenman]

I have no idea how they plan to get any decent researchers out in this part of poorhouse Mississippi. It''''s one of the most backwards, run down, illiterate places in the US. The school districts are a JOKE.

The land may be cheap but that''''s the only good thing about this site. I think the best option is just to leave the lab where it is in Long Island!

Posted by diatreme at 11:16 AM : Aug 11, 2008
---------------

Exactly. There is no way in hell they''re gonna get top notch researchers to live in the hot, humid backwater swamps of Mississippi.

[erasmus81]

"No matter where they chose the lab should be out in the middle of no where." Posted by ahrats at 06:57 AM : Aug 11, 2008

"When you look at it like this Mississippi is the best site available. Even if something does get loose there who cares??" Posted by MCVet-1 at 07:38 AM : Aug 11, 2008

Have you read "The Stand" by Stephen King?
If something gets loose, there isn''t anywhere on Earth you will be safe.

[ms38654ob]

Here''s a few things to consider:

1. They''ll be hard pressed to find any locals above high school education.

2. Nobody in their right mind would want to live in this low class state unless they have to.

3. It''s so far from anything civilized.

4. No good airports or access to airlines.

I live in this state so I know.

Who dreams this stuff up anyway?

[stn_sage]

WHAT?! PLAY POLITICS WITH VITAL NATIONAL INTERESTS LIKE BIODEFENSE?! WHY THE PUBLIC IS SHOCKED!

Well, no we''re not---not really! Why should this be any different than any other part of government that was politicized by Bush and the GOP! The difference is in their variety of politicization the result is: the public''s work is NOT carried out!

Officials are sacked, information is suppressed, reports are rewritten or not done AT ALL! The Federal Court has to order them to file required, routine reports! And the goal of messing up government so it accomplished next to nothing is GUARANTEED!

Way to go, republiCONS! Never a more crooked party occupied ''D.C.''! Enjoy your destruction while you can, it won''t last forever!

[eclecticman1]

Shut up you loser liberals. You lost and thats that. Lord God Bush grants things to those who are holy and loyal.

Watch the sarcasm. Some people might take your statements at face value.

[lawyertom1]

This has been the way of DC almost from the beginning of the Republic. It is sad and unfortunate, but not a surprise.

[inventagod2]

Not the first time this administration steered things their way... No one ever really investigated the possibility of the military doing 9/11 either...