I have been asked to submit a weekly article that addresses environmental concerns that affect Mississippi and our citizens.
Alternet just published a disturbing report that Mississippi is in the running for a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bioterror facility that would take over the research currently being done at Plum Island, NY. The facility is to be a National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). The proposed site for this facility is in Flora, Mississippi. The other sites being considered, include the University of Georgia campus in Athens; the campus of Kansas State University in Manhattan; a research farm 17 miles northeast of Duke University in North Carolina; and a former ranch near San Antonio, Texas.
This NBAF will be a "biosafety level 4" (BL-4) facility, providing the highest degree of isolation for the world's most dangerous organisms (Plum Island was one notch down, at BL-3, because it was isolated by water).
Plum Island and a level 3 facility at Ft. Detrick, Maryland have had accidental release of deadly pathogens. In the case of Plum Island it was foot and mouth, at Ft Detrick it was anthrax.
The article goes on to say that a public hearing was held at all sites, and over 4,000 responses were received. The vast majority were negative.
Does anybody recall seeing notification of a public hearing on this? Did anybody attend?
Even though I don't live any where near Flora, I for one do not want a facility like this in my state. We need to keep an eye on this and make our Representatives aware of our feelings about it.
I'd like to thank David for agreeing to post on environmental issues. He will be a valuable addition to the writers at Cotton Mouth.
ReplyDeleteIt has been in the Mississippi news constantly since it first made the front page of the Clarion Ledger back in 2006, I think. There have been public hearings in Flora to answer community questions. The Flora site made the short list cut, the other two Mississippi sites did not make the list. Check the news over the past two years and you'll read more about it including the unanimous support from Mississippi's federal delegation and the Barbour administration. One of the top cheerleaders for the site is House Homeland Security Committee Chairman and 2nd District Congressman Bennie Thompson. I'm pretty sure the Flora and the Madison County leadership also supports it.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of environmental issues to report on in Mississippi. We've had a lot of leaders, Democratic & Republican, that just think we're a great dumping ground and environmental laws should not apply to us.
ReplyDeleteDavid- you'll have your work cut out for you! Thanks for staying on it.
Brandon also had a site that was being considered and if Brandon had been picked, it would have been less than a mile from my house. I still supported it then. I am not fearful of a leak of biohazardous material from a state of the art facility. After all guys, it's not like they are retrofitting an old fertilizer factory here. I see the hundreds of high paying jobs this will bring to the area and think it is a good thing. If you wanna worry about environmental issues in Mississippi, take a look at the gasoline situation. We are putting up alternative fuel manufacturers along the river, where are the stations for me to buy biodiesel or ethanol around the state?
ReplyDelete