Rep. Lee Zeldin on Battle to Preserve Plum Island: 'Losing's Not An Option'

NORTH FORK, NY - After a lengthy battle, the fight to preserve Plum Island for posterity as a rich natural resource is one step closer to victory.

That's the news Rep. Lee Zeldin brought to the North Fork Sunday when he hosted a press conference at Reeves Beach in Riverhead.

Zeldin convened the event to update elected officials and the public on progress regarding legislation he introduced in Congress in April, 2015, aimed at putting the brakes on the sale of Plum Island by the federal government to the highest bidder.

The congressman said the bill will be marked up with an amendment and voted on in the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday, effectively releasing it from committee and allowing it to come to a vote on the House floor this year.

The bill will then commission the Government Accountability Office, along with the Department of Homeland Security, to work on an in-depth plan for the Island's future — and ensuring that no future action could be taken to sell Plum Island while the work on the plan is ongoing, and for at least 180 days after.

"This is our top priority of 2016," Zeldin said. "Losing's not an option."

Possible alternatives uses for Plum Island include a transfer of ownership to another federal agency, the state or local government, a non-profit, or a combination thereof, for the purpose of education, research, and conservation.

Zeldin gave a brief history of Plum Island, which has been used as a research laboratory since World War II. Under federal jurisdiction since 1899, the facility is known as the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. In 2008, the future of Plum Island was threatened when the Department of Homeland Security announced that the Animal Disease Center would be moved to a new federal facility in Kansas, the Bio-and-Agro Defense Facility.

At the same time, a law was enacted, which is still in place, that calls for the private sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder, in order to defray costs of relocation.

Zeldin commended local leadership for taking swift action to create zoning on Plum Island that would nix plans of developers hoping to purchase the property; Donald Trump had initially expressed interest in creating a golf course on Plum Island.

The Southold Town board adopted the new zoning unanimously in August, 2013.

Southold's zoning plan for the island calls for a 125-acre Plum Island research district, which would comprise 20 percent of the island, and a 350-acre Plum Island conservation district, that would make up the remaining 80 percent, which would be a natural preserve.

The goal is to create some kind of research facility that could possibly keep the 400 year-round jobs that currently exist on Plum Island in town.

At Sunday's event, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said when the potential sale was first discussed, Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, who was then a councilman on the Southold town board, said there was an urgency to create zoning on Plum Island, and get it done expeditiously.

At first, Russell said, he wondered who would be "crazy" enough to want to develop Plum Island — and then he got a call from Donald Trump.

Russell thanked Zeldin for support on the national level. "Zoning is the last line of defense," he said. "Not the first line."

Sale talk still ongoing

At the event, Zeldin said he'd just received an email promoting Plum Island real estate to potential buyers, something Southold Town Councilman Jim Dinizio said was an "eye opener."

After the event, Russell said even if should try to overturn Southold's zoning to develop the parcel, "We are confident that our zoning is defensible in any court. However, it would be ideal if we wouldn't have to test that in court. We would prevail but, the potential legal costs of defending our zoning and stopping irresponsible end uses is something we would very much like to avoid."

Ideally, the goal is to see the Plum Island facility continue to operate protecting the world's food supply and also, to ensure that the largely undisturbed ecosystem stay in its pristine state, Russell said. "We are realistic and continued operation does not appear likely, so let's find a successor to continue the employee the talented and extremely qualified workforce. Perhaps a bio-technology firm who have great difficulty finding sites on the mainland."

Worst case scenarios, he said, would be for an individual to try and purchase the land and develop it, which could land the town in a protracted and costly legal battle. "The second is that the federal government abandon the site which would offer no continuation of jobs and no meaningful and responsible management plans for the preserved area. That is the one I call the chain-link option. Whereas, they throw a fence around it and tell everyone to stay off."

That's why, all agreed at the event, the fight must continue to protect and preserve the parcel.

“Situated at the gateway of the Long Island Sound, Plum Island is treasured by our local community. As a critical resource for research, approximately 90 percent of the land on Plum Island has been sheltered from development, offering Long Island a diverse wildlife and ecosystem and a critical habitat for migratory birds, marine mammals, and rare plants," Zeldin said.

Plum Island is also a cultural and historical resource, Zeldin said.

New York State Assemblyman Antony Palumbo lauded Zeldin's efforts. "Congressman Zeldin continues to prove that he is a man of action," he said.

In order to become law the bill must also pass in the Senate, Zeldin explained, but said efforts are also ongoing to that end.

John Turner, president of the Plum Island coalition, said Sunday's announcement was "wonderful news", especially on the heels of Earth Day.

When the plan was made to sell in 2008,Turner said, Plum Island was considered "nothing more than a chunk of real estate." He referenced the emails touting Plum Island as a potential real estate transaction, and said the fight must continue.

Krupski said although years ago, Plum Island was always a bit of a "mystery," it's a "stable fixture" that provides jobs for North Fork residents. The news of a potential sale was "disturbing" to North Fork residents, he added. Zeldin's efforts mean that the North Fork does not stand alone in the battle; Zeldin, he said, is writing the next chapter in Plum Island's history.

Also present were Riverhead Town Council members Jodi Giglio, John Dunleavy and Timothy Hubbard, all of whom pledged their support to Zeldin and Southold Town.

Environmentalists also were onhand to laud Zeldin's efforts; his predecessor, Tim Bishop, was also a strong advocate for preservation of Plum Island.

"I will continue pushing for passage of this critical bill out of committee and on the House floor so that we protect Plum Island," Zeldin said.