Pearland - Friendswood Edition | March 2024

Government

BY RACHEL LELAND

Pearland city ocials joined Brazoria County, as well as nearby city and state ocials, in opposing the development of a holding facility that could potentially house thousands of monkeys in a quarantine space for observation and socialization. The facility, which would be built out by biomedical company Charles River Laboratories, calls for housing 8,600 monkeys, company spokesperson Sally Philbin said in an email. On Jan. 22, Pearland City Council voted 6-1 to support Brazoria County in opposing the project. Brazoria County Commissioners Court in its Nov. 28 resolution said it was “concerned about the public’s health and safety, the animal welfare and pathogen introduction with the development of this facility.” Vote tallies supporting resolutions Multiple cities have voted for resolutions denouncing the facility. Votes “for” reect support for resolution. Monkey lab in Brazoria County draws concern

Diving in deeper

Proposed Brazoria County facility

The facility would be built on 538 acres, which the company acquired in March 2023, located o CR 2 in southern Brazoria County, according to county agenda documents. Although the county’s resolution opposes build- ing the facility in Brazoria County, the county does not have the authority to halt the development if the company meets necessary guidelines, Brazoria County Commissioner David Linder said. Despite this, the development has attracted attention from animal welfare activist organiza- tions, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, which has sent more than 4,000 letters to residents within a 10-mile radius of the proposed facility, PETA Senior Science Advisor Lisa Jones-Engel said. PETA ocials are also speaking with state and federal ocials about concerns they have with the development, Jones-Engel said.

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Ocials with Charles River Laboratories said in an email the facility in Brazoria County would serve as a quarantine space for 8,600 monkeys .

Alice is home to Texas’s largest facility for holding monkeys. Inspection reports dating back to 2014 show 11,259 monkeys was the most inspected at the facility at one time.

SOURCES: CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY IMPACT

What they’re saying

“The concern that I have is mosquito control and those types of things. Where are these animals housed? Outside?

“With some of the details being up in the air right now, I don’t know that I necessarily want to ... take a position

City

For

Against

Inside? Are they going to be open to mosquitoes and other things, and then spreading to other parts of the county?” KEVIN COLE, PEARLAND MAYOR

for or against it at this time until they kind of esh out some of those details.” ADRIAN HERNANDEZ, PEARLAND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER WHO VOTED AGAINST THE RESOLUTION

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Brazoria County Pearland Sweeny West Columbia Lake Jackson

SOURCES: CITIES OF PEARLAND, SWEENY, WEST COLUMBIA, LAKE JACKSON; BRAZORIA COUNTYCOMMUNITY IMPACT THIS LIST IS NONCOMPREHENSIVE

The takeaway

was projected based on earlier plans, Philbin said in an email. Those with the company, which specializes in new drug treatments and laboratory research, are further assessing the site, which is “likely to take signicant time, perhaps months,” Cianciaruso said in the email. “In the interim, we will suspend any future permitting requests, actions or activities at the site,” Cianciaruso said in the email.

Representatives from Charles River met with county ocials in December and were alerted to the property’s potential ooding issues, Amy Cianciaruso, Charles River Laboratories chief communications ocer, said in an email. “This location is a problem that they chose, and the residents recognize it,” Linder said. Company ocials have also since said they are looking at lowering the number of monkeys to 8,600—down from roughly 43,000, which

Linder said he was not opposed to research in the pursuit of lifesaving medicine, but felt the area where the proposed facility would be built was ood-prone, thus posing a potential public health risk to county residents if any waste leaked into the surrounding environment. Since the end of September, hundreds of Brazoria County residents called him expressing similar concerns, Linder said.

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