Rep. Zeldin Secures House Passage of Millions in Funding for Long Island Environmental Priorities, Legislation to Protect Plum Island
Press Release
Today, Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), co-chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus and founding member of the bipartisan Congressional Estuary Caucus, issued the following statement after House passage of the Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act of FY 2019 (H.R. 6147), which included $12 million in funding for the EPA's Long Island Sound Program, $27 million for the National Estuary Program, $21 million for the EPA Wetland Program, and his legislative proposal to halt the sale of Plum Island:
"Those of us who grew up on Long Island understand that our communities' waterways are an integral part of our history, culture and entire way of life. The Long Island Sound alone support tens of billions of dollars in economic value per year, which helps so many hardworking Long Islanders put food on the table and provide a better future for their families. In a district almost completely surrounded by water, we have a unique responsibility to safeguard our local environment. Hand-in-hand with protecting our environment, we must preserve the state-of-the-art research facility on Plum Island, preserving this island's natural beauty, diverse wildlife and ecosystem, as it continues to provide important economic and environmental benefits for Long Island."
Congressman Zeldin's Plum Island Preservation Act, which would prevent the sale of Plum Island by the federal government to the highest bidder, has passed the House of Representatives unanimously two Congresses in a row, but the U.S. Senate has not acted on legislation to save the island.
The Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act of FY 2019 (H.R. 6147) includes:
$12 million for the EPA's Long Island Sound Program
$27 million for the National Estuary Program
$21 million for the EPA's Wetland Program
Rep. Zeldin's legislation to block the General Services Administration from marketing or selling Plum Island so the island can be preserved for conservation, education and research.
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