Texas U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison are, evidently, pushing hard for a $450 million national disease research lab to be installed in San Antonio.

Texas Research Park in northwest San Antonio is one of the possible sites for the brand spankin' new, 500,000 square foot National Bio- and Agro-Defense Lab. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the agency in charge of this project, is currently considering several possible sites for the installation.

The new facility will replace the old lab at Plum Island, New York, which has drawn fire from Congress over security concerns. The Homeland Security Department claims that the facility would bring at least 300 lab-related jobs to its chosen construction area. The lab will have the highest security rating available in federal government - BSL-4 - meaning that it'd be set up to handle the most lethal, incurable and nasty diseases known to exist.

The four other finalists in this dubious sweepstakes are Athens, GA; Manhattan, Kansas; Madison County, Mississippi and a spot located in North Carolina. States that didn't make the cut were in California, Oklahoma, Maryland, Missouri, Wisconsin and Kentucky. Sorry guys; maybe next time.

The "winner" should be announced some time next year, and the lab is expected to be fully operational by 2014.

*Images of disease pathogen and hazmat crew courtesy of Wikipedia.