A British consulting company will whittle down the list of potential relocation sites for two USDA research agencies in coming weeks with an eye to making a final recommendation after April, said the USDA on Wednesday. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has said he wants to move the Economic Research Service and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture by the end of this year.
“Ernst and Young is working through the middle list,” said a USDA spokesperson, referring to the list of at least 67 sites in 27 states that was released on Tuesday. “We expect them to refine selections in the coming weeks and will conduct site visits and further due diligence in April, necessary to present a final recommendation.”
Rep. Sanford Bishop, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees USDA spending, said on Tuesday, “It might not be advisable for Perdue to proceed without additional ‘dialogue’ with Congress,” said The Hagstrom Report. Earlier this year, Congress advised Perdue that without more justification and information, it would be premature to move the research agencies. The language was not binding, but lawmakers often expect such “report language” to guide the executive branch.
The USDA has requested $25 million for moving expenses for the agencies in the fiscal year that opens on Oct. 1.
Two out of every three locations on the USDA’s list of semifinalists are in the Midwest or Plains.