Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my important bipartisan amendment to halt the sale and marketing of Plum Island, New York, by the General Services Administration.

Situated at the gateway of the Long Island Sound, Plum Island is a treasure for our local community in both New York and Connecticut. As a critical resource for research, approximately 90 percent of the land on Plum Island has been sheltered from development, protecting the diverse ecosystem of Long Island Sound and critical habitat for migratory birds, marine mammals, and rare plants. With recorded history dating back to the 1700s, Plum Island is also an essential cultural and historical resource.

Since World War II, Plum Island has been utilized as a resource laboratory. The facility, which has been under Federal jurisdiction since 1899, has since grown to become what is known today as the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

In 2005, the Department of Homeland Security, which currently has jurisdiction over the island, announced that the Animal Disease Center would be moved to a new Federal facility in Kansas. To offset the cost of this relocation, a law was enacted in 2008 that called for the private sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder.

The traditional interagency consultation process regarding the disposal of Federal property was bypassed, fast-tracking the potential sale of this island without consulting the local community or other Federal agencies. This statutory mandate was also based on a false assumption that a sale could offset the cost of the new facility, when the true value of the island, including cleanup costs, still are not clear.

The town of Southold, New York, has local jurisdiction over the island and has passed ordinances preventing any private development. This factor, coupled with the significant cleanup and environmental mitigation costs associated with closing this facility, gives Plum Island little to no commercial value.

Furthermore, according to a DHS report issued in April of 2016, the new site in Manhattan, Kansas, is already fully paid for through a combination of Federal appropriations and State funding.

Allowing for continued research, public access, and permanent preservation of the island is a priority shared by elected officials, conservation groups, and local residents on both sides of the sound.

The GSA must stop advancing the sale of this island and stop wasting taxpayer money on retaining expensive real estate firms in violation of the will of the people and in spite of pending litigation over this proposed sale.

This amendment allows Congress to use the power of the purse to stop the GSA from marketing or selling the island while we continue the fight for a permanent solution that will preserve the island for conservation and education.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment passed the House on a bipartisan vote in 2016 as part of Financial Services and General Government Appropriations. My similar stand-alone bill, the Plum Island Preservation Act, has also passed with unanimous support in the House now in two consecutive Congresses.

Mr. Chairman, I once again urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan amendment.

Mr. Chairman, in closing, I thank my partners from Connecticut, Rosa DeLauro and Joe Courtney, for once again introducing this amendment with me. I also thank my additional cosponsors from New York, Kathleen Rice, Tom Suozzi, and John Faso. The broad range of bipartisan support for this effort throughout our region shows what an important gem Plum Island is for our environment and for our history.

Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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