A Department of Homeland Security plan to build 500,000-square foot research lab in Manhattan, Kansas, was based on a “rushed, flawed study” and is not “scientifically defensible,” according to an article in the Washington Post Monday. The article cited a not-yet-released report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as the source of the claim.

The planned National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF)—which would research contagious animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, and Japanese encephalitis—was highly sought after by state and local government officials, despite public resistance. Manhattan, home of Kansas State University, beat four other finalists to garner the $700 million facility, which is expected to add about $3.5 billion to the economy, according to the Post article.

Since then, speculation about the role political alliances played in naming the location have led to a closer examination of the methods used to justify the tornado-prone area as the site of the facility, which will replace the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

From the beginning, the GAO had concerns about the disease research being conducted on the U.S. mainland (New York’s Plum Island center is located on a federally-owned island off the northern tip of Long Island). In a 2008 report, the GAO concluded that DHS hadn’t provided sufficient evidence that foot-and-mouth disease research could be conducted safely on the mainland and that the agency hadn’t adequately estimated the impacts of an outbreak.

The latest draft report—which comes in advance of congressional appropriations for NBAF funding—seems to reiterate that stance, according to the Post article.

“Drawing conclusions about relocating research with highly infectious exotic animal pathogens from questionable methodology could result in regrettable consequences,” the Post claims the report states. The article also quotes the report as stating DHS’s review was too “limited” and “inadequate” to decide that any mainland labs were safe” and that it was based on “unrepresentative accident scenarios,” “outdated modeling,” and “inadequate” information about the sites.

Natural disasters, including tornados and floods, are among the risk factors for accidental spread of contagion. An analysis of the Manhattan site examining those and other factors was done by the Suburban Emergency Management Project in December 2008.

Supporters of the Kansas site said the GAO’s concerns had be addressed in the facility’s environmental impact statement and that they didn’t expect the project to be jepordized, according to a Kansas City Business Journal article.