New Senate Bill would Halt the Sale of Plum Island to Highest Bidder

July 1, 2015 — 

A new Senate bill would prevent Plum Island from being sold to the highest bidder and pave the way for ownership of the mostly undeveloped parcel to be transferred to a federal environmental agency. [Source: The Suffolk Times, by Rachel Young, June 28, 2015]

The Plum Island Conservation Act, introduced this week by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), would change an existing law to prevent the General Services Administration, which oversees the island in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, from selling to the highest bidder.

According to Mr. Schumer, the bill would also give the GSA the flexibility to transfer the sale of the island to a national environmental agency that would conserve it as a wildlife sanctuary. In addition, the legislation requires the GSA and DHS to work with federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency to make recommendations to Congress about the agency best suited for “administrative jurisdiction” over the island.

The island, which is home to the federally operated Animal Disease Research Center, is on track to be sold to the highest bidder to help offset the cost of building a newer, state-of-the-art facility in Kansas.