The U.S. Department of Agriculture reaffirmed its plans this week to “decommission” the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center as part of a shift of D.C.-area workers and research to other facilities around the country, a plan that has the potential to move thousands of jobs out of the region.
That brought a swift condemnation from Democratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegation, who said that by “attempting to shutter the facility, the USDA is breaking the law,”
“We will not stand idly by as they try to do so,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement Thursday.
It comes as the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service announced plans Thursday to close down the 6,500-acre Beltsville center, which has a nearly century-long history in Prince George’s County.
The department said in a release that ARS “will begin decommissioning the center as part of a broader program aimed at relocating research programs to facilities across the country better aligned with regional agricultural needs.”
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Mitchell Miller over at Maryland Matters
