Requiring Comptroller General to Assess Options for Disposition of Plum Island Animal Disease Center in Plum Island, New York

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to, first of all, thank Mr. Thompson of Mississippi for his interest and support in this measure, even though he hails from a part of the country which is far away from the Long Island Sound. But, again, going back to his days on the Agriculture Committee, he clearly knows the forensics of this legislation, and, again, his interest and support is much appreciated.

I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) for bringing this bill up today.

Again, Long Island Sound, maybe, is not right on your radar screen, but as Congressman Zeldin said, it is an incredibly special place, a tidal estuary which separates Connecticut from New York, and it is within the New York territory. Frankly, it is a very small, densely populated area, and the interest level on both sides of the Long Island Sound in terms of passage of this legislation is off the charts.

I again want to thank Mr. Zeldin for his efforts.

Again, this measure started in 2013 in response to the GAO report that basically signaled that the sale of this island was on the fast track, and it really took persistence up until today's vote on the floor to make sure that we stop that process, as Mr. Zeldin indicated, and send the message that Plum Island is not for sale.

Again, because of its unique history, the activity that took place there with the Animal Disease Center made it unsuitable for residential development and commercial development, but sort of the outcome of that is that this incredibly rich diversity of biology has sprung up there.

Like the gentleman from Long Island, I have had the opportunity to visit there, and it is as if you were in a different world. That is something that we can never take for granted, particularly in a part of the country where, again, there are tremendous amounts of sea traffic, maritime activity, and economic activity. To try and, again, basically preserve this 840-acre parcel with its incredible richness is something that really will live on for generations and, really, I think, will make the 114th Congress memorable, certainly in terms of that region, for many years to come.

Again, like the gentleman from New York, I want to say that the external pressure which was brought to bear by municipal officials and by folks from Save the Sound--that is an umbrella group on both sides of the Long Island Sound--and the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, again, is what really kept the interest level and the pressure on both delegations to make sure that this didn't get lost in the process and allow that mandated sale to move forward.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge passage of this bill, and, again, with the gentleman from New York, am determined to make sure that this moves as quickly as possible through the Upper Chamber and is signed into law by President Obama, sending a message to all the individuals and groups that are so interested in preserving Plum Island that, in fact, we, again, have taken it off this sort of conveyor belt and we are going to make sure that it gets the careful treatment that it deserves. At the end of the day, it is going to basically preserve this for generations to come.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source