Clarion-Ledger: Letter to the Editor

Visit signals that Miss. now poised to welcome NBAF

Today, Mississippi finds itself inching closer to the opportunity of a generation. Department of Homeland Security officials will visit Flora this afternoon to solicit input from Mississippians regarding the proposed National Bio and Agro Defense Facility. Scientists at this state-of-the-art facility will study how to protect our nation’s livestock against an accidental or terror-related release of animal diseases.

Two years ago, 29 sites from around the country submitted proposals to the department in hopes of landing this critical facility in their communities. Six finalists remain in contention, and I am proud that Mississippi is one of them. Our citizens, governor, universities, local officials, and congressional delegation should be commended for their cooperation in this effort.

The construction and operation of the $500 million NBAF would create hundreds of skilled jobs and would likely spur a biotechnology boom in Mississippi. Developers have said its impact would approach or exceed that of the Stennis Space Center, Canton’s Nissan plant, or Blue Springs’s Toyota plant.

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