another example of our government hard at work

(frightening i must say)

Risk versus reward

Hurricane Ike was a vivid reminder of Galveston's vulnerability as a home for the world's deadliest substances, but officials say new center is secure

By ERIC BERGER

GALVESTON — Building an ultra-secure biohazards lab on a hurricane-prone barrier island may seem like a bad idea, but that's just what federal scientists have done.

Environmentalists and some Galveston community leaders have raised concerns about the $176 million, seven-story lab where researchers will study the world's deadliest viruses and bacteria, such as anthrax, Ebola and the plague.

Yet, the project's backers say, if any facility can withstand the most powerful of hurricanes, it's probably the new Galveston National Lab on the University of Texas Medical Branch campus, which officials will dedicate Tuesday......................