[NukeNet] Livermore Lab on Dept. of Homeland Security list for massive biodefense mega-plex

[marylia]

Some minutes ago, the Dept. of Homeland Security did release the "short
list." And, as we had been told, yes, Livermore Lab is on that list. Here
is the press release we sent out this morning. Read on ...
Marylia Kelley

For more information, contact:
Marylia Kelley, executive director, Tri-Valley CAREs, (925) 443-7148
Loulena Miles, staff attorney, Tri-Valley CAREs, (925) 443-7148

For Immediate Release, August 9, 2006
"MOON SUITS" & MAD COW FOR CENTRAL VALLEY, BAY AREA?

Livermore Lab "Site 300" on Dept. of Homeland Security List to be Announced
Today:
Community Group Opposes "Mixing Bugs and Bombs" at Nuclear Weapons Lab,
Cites Health and Environmental Concerns

LIVERMORE -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is poised to announce
later today that the joint University of Calif.-Livermore Lab bid to
construct and operate a massive biodefense complex at the Livermore Lab's
"Site 300" has been placed on the agency's "short list" of sites under
consideration.

If Livermore Lab's Site 300 is chosen to house this new biodefense
mega-plex, it will, by definition, include agriculture biocontainment labs
for what are euphemistically called "high consequence" bio-agents -
including foreign animal diseases and human pathogens requiring Biosafety
Level-3 (BSL-3) and BSL-4 research space.

500,000 Square Feet of Lab Space: Moon Suits, Mad Cow and Ebola, too?

According to the DHS federal register notice, the mega-complex of biolabs
(e.g., BSL-3s and BSL-4s) would encompass 500,000 square feet - and the
biodefense research would also require a minimum of 30-acres in order to
carry out biological experiments on livestock such as cattle, sheep and
swine. The inclusion of livestock in the proposal makes it extremely likely
that mad cow disease and avian flu will be in the mix of deadly agents to
be handled, and perhaps genetically modified, at the site.

BSL-4 is the highest level of containment, where researchers wear "moon
suits" for protection. The BSL-4 designation is reserved for sites that
experiment with the deadliest agents, such as the Ebola virus, for which
there is no known cure. BSL-3 is the designation that permits sites to
experiment with and aerosolize (spray) potentially fatal pathogens, such as
live anthrax, Q fever and plague. (Note: Tri-Valley CAREs' bio-warfare
agent research lawsuit against the Dept. of Energy involves a planned BSL-3
at the Livermore Lab main site. That suit was filed in 2003, and a decision
is expected soon from the court.)

Tri-Valley CAREs Cites Regional, International Risks

"Tri-Valley CAREs is concerned about the types of experiments that would be
conducted in the Central Valley, which is our state's ranching and
agricultural heartland," stated Loulena Miles, Tri-Valley CAREs' staff
attorney. "A release could devastate the state's economy. Moreover, housing
developments and the Tracy City limits are rapidly expanding out toward
Site 300."

"We believe that advanced bio-warfare agent research should not be located
at nuclear weapons facilities, whether at the Livermore Lab main site or
Site 300, said Tri-Valley CAREs' executive director, Marylia Kelley.
"Mixing 'bugs and bombs' sends the wrong message to the world. How would
the U.S. dispel suspicion about the scope and intent of its bio-warfare
agent research when the activities are carried out at a highly classified
nuclear weapons site?"

Kelley continued: "This situation could result in a weakening of the
Biological Weapons Convention, the international treaty intended to prevent
the development and spread of bioweapons. In particular, it could stymie
negotiations on verification and enforcement protocols for the treaty."

This past spring, Tri-Valley CAREs revealed that the Livermore Lab and UC
had stealthily submitted an "expression of interest," to build a 30-acre
bio mega-mplex at Livermore Lab's Site 300 high explosives testing range
near Tracy. The group challenged the Regents of the University to make
public the details of the bid.

The University rejected Tri-Valley CAREs' public records act request. UC
refused to release a single iota of information, not even the cover page,
claiming the bid was exempt from public disclosure in its entirety.

"In essence, a classified nuclear weapons lab and the University that
manages it have submitted a covert plan to what may be the government's
most secretive agency to build what may be the site's most dangerous
facility," Kelley charged.

Moreover, she noted, "Site 300 has already been heavily contaminated by
nuclear weapons work. It is on the EPA's 'Superfund' list of most polluted
locations in the country."

Tri-Valley CAREs is developing a petition to show community opposition to
this plan. It will be available to the community within the next few days.

Tri-Valley CAREs is sponsoring a community workshop on September 12 at 7
PM, 501 W. Grantline Road, Tracy. We will have expert panelists on
bio-safety and on U.S. biodefense policy.

-- 30 --

Here is the link to Department of Homeland Security
click on Press http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=5790

Marylia Kelley
Executive Director
Tri-Valley CAREs
(Communities Against a Radioactive Environment)
2582 Old First Street
Livermore, CA USA 94551

<http://www.trivalleycares.org> - is our web site address. Please visit us
there!

(925) 443-7148 - is our phone
(925) 443-0177 - is our fax