Kansas officials are pressing the federal government to move ahead with construction of a new biosecurity lab near Kansas State University.

They’re doing so even though a report Friday from the National Research Council said there’s still no good assessment of how safely it would operate. The $1.14 billion lab would research deadly animal diseases.

Kansas Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran sent a letter Friday to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, demanding she release $90 million already approved for the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback joined them, as did Missouri Sens. Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill.

The new report said Homeland Security’s assessment of the lab’s safety was flawed in predicting little risk of an accidental release of a dangerous disease.