National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility

The proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) would research high-consequence biological threats involving zoonotic (i.e., transmitted from animals to humans) and foreign animal diseases. It would allow basic research; diagnostic development, testing and validation; advanced countermeasure development; and training for high-consequence livestock diseases.

The new and unique government biocontainment infrastructure would:

• integrate those aspects of public and animal health research that have been determined to be central to national security;
• assess and research evolving bioterrorism threats over the next five decades; and
• enable the Departments of Homeland Security and Agriculture to fulfill their related homeland defense research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) responsibilities.

The Homeland Security Act of 2002, recognizing that protecting U.S. agriculture is a critical element of homeland security, transferred the current research facility (Plum Island Animal Disease Center [PIADC]) from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Homeland Security.

Facility

• Why Build a New Facility? No facility currently meets the requirements identified in Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9.
• Potential NBAF Sites shows proposed locations and a description of the site selection process for the NBAF.
• Facility Research & Staffing describes diseases that would potentially be studied at the NBAF and staffing plans.
• Facility Design & Construction describes biocontainment and safety features of the proposed NBAF.

Read more about the scope of research to be conducted in the NBAF, the proposed NBAF and biosafety levels, and definition of terms used in the NBAF discussion.

Environmental Impact Statement

• Environmental Impact Statement (final and draft) and supporting documents analyze the potential environmental impacts of the proposed NBAF at the proposed six site alternatives.
• Public Involvement explains how to access information and the schedule of public meetings.
• Public Reading Rooms shows where NBAF documents and related material are stored for public access.
• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Process shows how the evaluation process works. 

Read more about the scope of research to be conducted in the NBAF, the proposed NBAF and biosafety levels, and definition of terms used in the NBAF discussion.