Dan's Papers - August 22, 2008

North Fork legislators, officials and residents came out in droves to an August 12 public hearing conducted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to speak out the potential upgrade of the bio-level 3 laboratory on Plum Island to a bio-level 4.

At bio-level 3, the lab studies animal diseases - primarily foot and mouth disease - that pose no threat to humans. A level 4 lab would see the inclusion of more dangerous animal diseases that could be transferred to humans. Several of these diseases have no known cure. The primary concern regarding the North Fork is, not surprisingly, safety.

"There are no evacuation routes and no availability to build evacuation routes," said Scott Russell, Southold Town supervisor. "You can't build on an island where there are already roads and the rest is water. You can't build roads on water."

"It's extremely difficult to evacuate the North Fork and Shelter Island," said Legislator Ed Romaine. The current plan is suited for weather-related issues that require evacuation of flood areas, he said.

Ironically, the morning after this meeting, news broke that Plum Island was on the laundry list of New York area landmarks targeted by a Pakistani scientist/terror suspect. Following the meeting regarding Plum Island's bio-level status, the news rattled the North Fork.

"We shouldn't be so naïve, and it's no surprise that a major combatant has information on many American landmarks and places like that," Russell said. "What makes it pertinent is if we upgrade to bio-level 4. Certainly it poses a real threat to people if there's a threat to it right now at level 3."

Romaine's biggest concern is that Plum Island is in neither a "no-fly" nor a "no-boating" zone. "You can bring a boat close to shore," he said. "Those are things that need to be discussed. Even at a bio-level 3, they should be discussed and reviewed."

There is a misconception that, should a bomb go off on Plum Island, the viruses would be released and scatter. But Russell said that in actuality, most of them would be destroyed from the heat of the blast. Russell's concern was for the safety of the workers, including those who ride the Cross Sound Ferry to work, which he says "is a much easier target."

Regarding the terror threat to Plum Island, John Verrico, spokesman for the DHS, Science and Technology division, says the DHS determined that there was no real threat to the Island following the arrest of the terror suspect. "Our senior folks were briefed about that when the arrest was first made. We took a look at the site and didn't feel any changes had to be made," he said.

As for local fear of a potential release of these viruses, whether at a level 3 or 4, Verrico says their fears are unfounded. "They don't understand that there really is no situation that would require an evacuation of the area," he said. "The amount of pathogens on hand are extremely small. We're just trying to find vaccines. If released, the great majority will die very quickly, almost immediately. There's not enough quantity of the disease to infect even one person."

Security measures on the island would be beefed up with the upgrade to ensure none of the viruses would be released. And the diseases that come with the new lab that might be transferred from animals to humans would require direct contact with the animal, said Verrico. "But it's an understandable fear," he added. "People don't trust the government, and it's a shame. We're really nice people. We're not trying to do anything scary to folk. We're not doing anything underhanded. There's nothing to hide...The risk is considered minimal."

Plum Island is up against five other locations - Athens, Georgia; Manhattan, Kansas; Flora, Mississippi; San Antonio, Texas; and Butner, North Carolina - that are actually lobbying for the bio-level 4 lab to be built in their area. "Other communities actually want it," Romaine said. He says that there is some economic benefit to having the lab built - about half a billion federal dollars would be funneled into the local economy if the new lab is constructed.

The new lab could be built on the mainland for about $500 million, with the cost ballooning to $750 million if it's built on Plum Island. The old lab on the island would have to be torn down and a new facility built from scratch. "But some people in Homeland Security prefer Plum Island because it is an island and there are no acquisition costs," Romaine said.

The DHS has also said that if Plum Island is not the site of the future bio-level 4 lab, the current lab will be shut down, raising concerns about how this would affect the economy on the North Fork. But Russell feels this is an idle threat. They've recently done over $50 million in upgrades to the existing lab, so why would they just shut it down? "With the kind of money they've put into it and the upgrades they've done, I'm reasonably sure it will remain a fully functional bio-level 3," he said. "It's perfectly suited for it. It's away from cattle population and animals that could be affected by these diseases, which don't affect humans. It's perfect for what it does."

Still, Russell added, "You never know. The federal government is perfectly capable of wasting money."

And with the presidential election coming up, after years of talks about a potential super research center, the DHS is scrambling to make a final decision on the location of the future level 4 lab by December - right before a new administration takes office. This is another reason Russell thinks anything could happen. "A new president could mean a new direction, and we will definitely have a new direction, whether it's Republican or Democrat," he said.

As for the recent public hearing regarding Plum Island, everything the public had to say will be taken into account when the DHS makes its final decision, Verrico said. "We wanted people to point out things we have to look at. The purpose of having these meetings is to get exactly those comments," he said. "The community acceptance is part of the criteria for deciding where to place the lab."