Local Congressman to Re-Introduce Legislation to Protect Plum Island

Local Congressman Lee Zeldin announced recently that he will be re-introducing a legislation to protect Plum Island, an island in the Town of Southold east of Orient Point.

“Plum Island is cherished by the local community, as an essential resource for it’s abundance in cultural, historical, ecological, and natural resources,” Zeldin said in a press release.

The island, which is the site of a Federal Animal and Disease Center, is currently owned by the U.S. Government, which was considering selling the island as part of a debt-reduction package, but suspended the plan back in 2002.

In 2008, a legislation was passed which mandated the public sale of Plum Island, with the proceeds meant to partially offset the $1.2 billion cost of the proposed National Bio-and-Agro Defense Facility in Kansas.

Zeldin wants to re-introduce legislation HR 1887, which will reverse the 2008 law.

“This proposal will allow us to protect and preserve the island for generations to come,” Zeldin said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues from across the aisle, especially here in the tri-state area, to get this bill passed in the 114th Congress.”

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