Governor M. Jodi Rell today praised the federal government’s decision to locate the new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility near Manhattan, Kan., rather than in the Long Island Sound near millions of Connecticut residents who had strongly opposed it.
Governor Rell had also opposed locating the facility at Plum Island in the Sound – the current location of the aging Animal Disease Center. In March the Governor wrote Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius supporting the location near the campus of Kansas State University, and in August Governor Rell wrote Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to say Plum Island was not a suitable location.
“Today’s decision is a wise one and I am pleased that Homeland Security officials heard and appreciated the serious objections I raised to siting a new laboratory at Plum Island,” Governor Rell said. “While the current lab has long been a leading location for animal disease research, given the millions of people who live in the area and the unique environmental treasure it represents it is clearly not the place to locate a research facility that handles some of the most dangerous biological substances known to humanity.
“I also congratulate Governor Sebelius and her team for making their case so effectively,” Governor Rell said. “There is no question that in an age of a global economy, swift movement between continents and the lingering risk of terrorism we must be able to detect and deal with biological threats. This new lab will undoubtedly provide new advances and new safeguards against these dangers.”
