Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., was greeted by a round of applause Tuesday morning as he stepped into the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center.
Lab employees had no questions for Dorgan; instead, they extended warm gratitude for the role he played in keeping the facility open. On Sept. 30, President Bush signed legislation that included continued funding for the lab.
During the morning stop at the center, Dorgan reflected on what he said were "unsettling times in many ways" for the lab's 101 employees.
The facility faced closure earlier this year when the Bush administration's proposed budget was released in February. Research would have been split between the USDA research centers in Beltsville, Md., and Davis, Calif., to cut costs.
The proposal "stood logic on its head," Dorgan said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dorgan, Sen. Kent Conrad and Rep. Earl Pomeroy, all D-N.D., fought to keep the lab open, saying that moving its work would cost more, not less.
Right now, because of the legislation signed last week, the budget for the facility will remain at $10.2 million, said Gerald Combs, the center's director.
