WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) issued the following statements upon the release of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Updated Site-Specific Risk Assessment (SSRA) for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas. To comply with congressional requirements, DHS updated the 2010 NBAF SSRA by incorporating recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the most recent design plans.

“The safety of NBAF’s research is a top priority and this updated report confirms that the NBAF design is sound,” Sen. Moran said. “DHS included recommendations for reducing risk, used the latest biocontainment technology, and brought in top experts to ensure NBAF will be the safest and most modern research facility in the world. Without NBAF, our country remains at risk from foreign animal disease outbreaks. It is critical that construction of NBAF begins immediately to safeguard against these threats and the devastation they would cause.”

“I am pleased by the updated assessment’s confirmation of what we always knew, Manhattan is the safest and best place for this facility to be built,” Sen. Roberts said. “The de minimis risk of outbreak should help allay concerns from any opposition, in the public or Congress. Now that this study has been delivered to Congress, I eagerly await DHS to begin construction on the Central Utilities Plant. This report fills the Congressional requirements to release the funds and I expect DHS to do so.”

Select findings from the Updated Site-Specific Risk Assessment:

• As part of its on-going risk management process and to comply with recent congressional requirements, DHS updated the 2010 NBAF Site-Specific Risk Assessment by: incorporating the current 65 percent design elements, and specifically addressing the NAS SSRA Committee recommendations.
• This updated SSRA assessment indicates that the NBAF 65 percent design is sound and has no evident fundamental flaws or design features that would prohibit the implementation of the best and safest practices used in animal and zoonotic pathogen research facilities.
• Since the 15 percent design phase and completion of the 2010 SSRA, DHS has incorporated recommendations to include additional mitigation measures for carcass disposal systems, liquid waste treatment and management, fully redundant dual-HEPA exhaust systems, and tornado hardening. In addition, DHS has continued to advance operations and response plans that also reduce risks.
• Updated SSRA estimates the expected probability that an accidental release of viable Foot and Mouth Disease (FMDv) resulting in a subsequent outbreak during the NBAF’s 50-year operating lifetime is de minimis – approximately one tenth of one percent (0.11%).
• The most current NBAF design provides for maintaining laboratory containment even in tornado events with winds up to ~228 mph. The biocontainment areas have been designed to a standard that is similar to that applied in the nuclear industry for structural and containment building integrity in a tornado event. As modeled, the expected return period for the catastrophic earthquake is 2,500 years and for a catastrophic tornado the expected return frequency is 14.2 million years.

The NBAF, a state-of-the-art biosecurity lab, is to be built adjacent to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. The facility will replace the antiquated foreign animal disease research facility at Plum Island, NY, which has a limited capacity to respond to animal disease threats. Click here to learn more about NBAF.

Click here to read a copy of DHS’ Updated Site-Specific Risk Assessment.

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On Wednesday, the University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC) hosted scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), who were in town to evaluate KUCC’s application to become an “NCI-designated Cancer Center.” I was honored to be in Kansas City to speak to the NCI scientists and express my full and ongoing commitment to KUCC in its pursuit of this exclusive designation.

Last September, KUCC formally applied for NCI designation. Wednesday’s site visit was part of this application process. NCI is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and our nation’s principal agency for cancer research and training. Obtaining NCI designation would substantially enhance KUCC’s ability to discover, develop, and deliver innovative treatments to patients in our state, improving the quality of life for Kansans. Currently, there are 66 NCI-designated cancer centers across the country – but none in Kansas. With NCI designation, KUCC patients would have access to the latest clinical trials and the most advanced cancer treatments close to home. 

Because NCI designation is the highest recognition for an academic cancer center, KUCC would also be better positioned to recruit the brightest researchers and scientists to develop cutting-edge treatments in Kansas City. Furthermore, studies have shown that NCI designation would attract thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to our state’s economy. Economic development on this scale would not only impact thousands of Kansans today, but would benefit residents for years to come.

Thanks to our nation’s commitment to cancer research, more than 12 million Americans have survived cancer and the 5-year survival rate for all cancers has risen considerably. Yet, there is so much more to be done. We must continue to strengthen our nation’s medical research infrastructure. KUCC is uniquely suited to make a lasting impact on the millions of Americans living within its service area that spans 120,000 square miles.

I commend the teams at KUCC, KU Medical Center, KU Hospital, and other partners for their pursuit of NCI designation. The future holds great promise for medical discoveries and supporting this essential mission is one of my highest priorities. By investing in medical research, we are investing in our future and bringing hope to millions of Americans. Click hereto view a photo from the visit.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) this week led 10 of their colleagues in requesting an extension of the wind energy production tax credit be considered in the Senate.

“The future of the American wind industry requires a stable tax environment in which to operate,” the Senators wrote. “If we are to expect wind energy to contribute to our country’s future energy needs, Congress must quickly work to reauthorize the wind production tax credit before our wind production capabilities are damaged. We ask that you move quickly to extend the production tax credit.”

According to the American Wind Energy Association, turbines, towers, and assembled nacelles are produced in more than 400 manufacturing facilities that employ tens of thousands of skilled American workers, including a Siemens nacelle manufacturing facility in Hutchinson, Kansas and Vestas’s blade, nacelles and towers factories in Brighton and Pueblo, Colorado. Failure to extend the production tax credit will weaken this growing manufacturing sector and destabilize an industry shortly before it completes its transformation to being cost competitive in the marketplace.

“By extending this production tax credit, we must also be mindful of our country’s current fiscal situation,” the Senators continued. “An extension of the wind production tax credit should provide for some long term stability while setting forth a path for how the wind industry can move towards a market-based system.”

In addition to Sens. Moran and Udall, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), John Thune (R-S.D.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

Click here to view a copy of the letter sent to Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

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