WASHINGTON – Congressional negotiators agreed Wednesday to allow the Homeland Security Department to spend federal money planning and designing a foot-and-mouth research lab in Kansas, but they want more study on its safety before allowing money to be used for its construction.<\/p>\n
A Homeland Security Department spending bill approved by a House and Senate conference committee includes $32 million for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility planned for Manhattan, Kan. The negotiators also asked for studies to prove that the lab can operate safely and tied construction money to that request.<\/p>\n
The House wanted to withhold all money until a third party studied the lab’s safety, while the Senate wanted to give Homeland Security the money and have it do the study. In a compromise, Wednesday’s move awards the money for planning but requires the additional study before any funds could be used for construction of the facility.<\/p>\n
It was unclear how much of the money was available for planning and design. Homeland Security Department officials originally wanted $36 million to start work on the lab. Of that amount, $27 million was for planning.<\/p>\n
There has been opposition to the lab and the foot-and-mouth disease research to be done there, based in part on concerns that an accidental release of the disease would devastate livestock.<\/p>\n
The compromise spending bill must be approved by the House and Senate before going to the president. Final approval is almost certain.<\/p>\n