DORGAN SAYS BILL STOPS ADMINISTRATION PLAN TO SHUT DOWN GRAND FORKS NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTER

President signs bill ending his push to close facility, move jobs to Maryland and California

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or  Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) announced Tuesday that President Bush has signed legislation that will ensure the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center remains open. The bill continues funding the center, rejecting the Bush Administration’s proposal to close the facility.

The legislation, commonly referred to as the “continuing resolution,” funds all U.S. Department of Agriculture programs at the same level until the permanent appropriations bill is enacted.

“This action finally puts the President’s effort to close the Human Nutrition Research Center to an end,” Dorgan said. “Congress has spoken, and it has decided that it’s important that we keep this facility in rural America. I hope that will give the staff at the Nutrition Center some peace of mind and allow them to keep doing their important research.”

Early next year, Congress will resume consideration of the Agriculture Appropriations bill. Dorgan, a member of the subcommittee that wrote the bill, included $10.2 million in that bill to keep the center open.

In early February of this year, the Bush Administration released its budget plan for Fiscal Year 2009 calling for the facility to be eliminated. Dorgan opposed the move, saying it is the only nutrition lab in a rural state and moving the jobs to Maryland and California will end up costing more money.

Research at the Human Nutrition Research Center focuses on health problems that face rural America including diabetes, heart disease and obesity. A closure would have moved dozens of jobs to other parts of the country and closed the only nutrition lab in a rural state.

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