Have any studies been done to see if building these biosafety labs actually will boost economic development?
Yes. The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, which is building Galveston National Laboratory, a Biosafety Level 4 facility, hired an independent company, Perryman Group of Waco, Texas, to prepare an economic impact report for the facility. The company found that the Galveston National Laboratory and related initiatives would add nearly $1.4 billion to the gross state product over 20 years and almost 22,500 person-years of employment over 20 years. The Perryman report also estimates that over 20 years the GNL would boost state revenues by more than $71 million and local government revenues by more than $6.6 million.
