The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) is a biosafety level 4 research laboratory in Manhattan, Kansas, operated by the United States Department of Agriculture. Slated to open in Summer 2022, the facility is designed to combat biological threats involving human, zoonotic, and foreign animal diseases. The NBAF will be replacing the aging Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) on Plum Island, New York. The primary research tenants of the facility will be the Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) and Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services (USDA-APHIS-VS). Construction on the facility officially began in May 2015, and was scheduled to be completed by May 2021. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, has delayed scheduled commissioning to October 2021, followed by further delays to Spring, and, subsequently, Summer 2022. Operations will be fully transferred from the Plum Island facility by 2023. When fully operational, the facility will employ between 250 and 350 people. The facility is a constituent member of the Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network, and is currently led by Alfonso Clavijo. Background The NBAF was initially proposed because the prior facility on Plum Island was considered inadequate by the Department of Homeland Security, citing its size, and lack of Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) capabilities. The new facility will research and develop countermeasures to combat high-consequence biological threats involving human, zoonotic (i.e., transmitted from animals to humans), and foreign animal diseases. Included among the diseases to be studied at the research lab are foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, African swine fever and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia. Approximately 10% of the facility will be used for BSL-4 level research. Site selection DHS decided to locate the NBAF in Manhattan, Kansas, after a multi-year process. Out of 29 original sites considered in 2006, the agency selected six finalists in 2008: University of Georgia/South Milledge Ave – Athens, Georgia Kansas State University – Manhattan, Kansas Flora Industrial Park – Madison County, Mississippi Plum Island Animal Disease Center – New York Umstead Research Farm – Granville County, North Carolina Texas Research Park – San Antonio, Texas Before the selection of the site, several rural advocacy groups, such as the National Grange, spoke out against the idea of locating the facility on the mainland. In addition, groups formed in Manhattan; Athens, Georgia; and Butner, North Carolina to oppose the laboratory's proposed location in those cities. By memo dated December 4, 2008, the Department of Homeland Security