Zeldin Announces New Victory In Fight to Save Plum Island

NORTH FORK, NY - Rep. Lee Zeldin announced a new victory Thursday in the war to save Plum Island.

Zeldin, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced Thursday in a release that another legislative proposal that he introduced in the House of Representatives to save Plum Island passed unanimously with bipartisan support.

The amendment to the financial services and general government appropriations act of 2017 prohibits any of the funding within the appropriations bill to be used to market or sell Plum Island.

The bipartisan amendment was co-sponsored by Reps. Joe Courtney and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, and Reps. Peter King and Steve Israel of New York.

Next, the United States Senate must now also pass the appropriations bill with Zeldin’s proposal in order to become law.

Passage of this amendment comes after a previous bill passed in May, to stop the sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder. In order for that bill, H.R. 1887, to become law, the U.S. Senate also must pass the bill which is currently in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

“Yet again, the House of Representatives is acting to save Plum Island by passing my legislative proposals to stop a sale to the highest bidder. It is time for the United States Senate to act and pass my proposals so that we can pursue a better direction for Plum Island that would allow for continued research, public access and permanent preservation of the island," Zeldin said.

May's announcement came just three weeks after Zeldin held a press conference on Sound Beach, during which the congressman updated 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.

The bill was marked up with an amendment and voted on in the House Homeland Security Committee, passing with strong bipartisan support on April 28, effectively releasing it from committee and allowing it to come to a vote on the House floor.

"Plum Island is not for sale," Zeldin said.

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 ensure 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.

The plan will include possible alternative uses for the island including 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, he said.

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

In May, Zeldin said he felt "great" about the progress so far. "I've never felt better," he said.

Zeldin said the bill, H.R. 1887, aims to allow Plum Island remain an invaluable resource in perpetuity, with public access and permanent preservation, as well as a world-class research facility.

Since World War II, Plum Island has been utilized as a research laboratory, Zeldin said. The facility, which has been under federal jurisdiction since 1899, is today 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 research would be moved to a new federal facility, the Bio-and-Agro Defense Facility in Kansas. To offset the cost of this relocation, a law was enacted that called for the private sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder.

However, due to the costs associated with the cleanup and closure of Plum Island, and because Southold Town worked proactively to enact zoning restrictions, the federal government would receive far less compensation for the sale of Plum Island, he said.

"Plum Island is truly a natural, cultural and historical treasure that has been cherished by our local community since before the 1700s, which is why protecting this critical land is so important," Zeldin said.

He thanked all elected officials and conservationists who have worked tirelessly, and commended Southold Town’s decision to rezone Plum Island, which was "an important and critical boost".

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said, “I think I can speak for many here on the East End when I say 'thank you' to Congressman Zeldin for listening to our concerns and taking action. Plum Island is a jewel and a national treasure. The federal government’s plan to see it off to the highest bidder is ill-conceived and short-sighted. Congressman Zeldin’s efforts have taken us the closest we’ve been yet to our goal of protecting this fragile ecosystem. It gives us all hope as we press forward.”

He added, "We are grateful to Rep. Zeldin and I am glad we have a representative who is real champion on such a critical issue."

Chris Cryder, special projects coordinator for Save the Sound, added, “Hopefully the 'Don't Sell Plum Island' bill will halt the ill-advised marketing campaign to auction the island and help provide a pathway to permanent conservation. Congress has listened to the voices of those fighting for Plum Island’s endangered species and historic buildings — it's time our federal agencies listened, too.”

Cryder said to see the island, sold, developed and bull-dozed, to make way for two golf courses as "one developer" proposed, would have been "a national tragedy."

"This is the best day we've had" in the years' long battle to save Plum Island, said John Turner, spokesperson for the Preserve Plum Island Coalition. "Plum Island, aka 'Treasure Island'", he said, is worthy of preservation in perpetuity.

To Zeldin, he said, "We couldn't have done it without you."

Kevin McAllister, founder of Defend H20, said the the beautiful natural resources present an opportunity. "Let's seize the day," he said.

Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, who was on the town board at the time of the zoning adoption and who advocated for that measure, said when the first heard that the federal government was preparing to sell Plum Island, the town was "dumbfounded. It was the town versus the federal government."

Krupski thanked Zeldin for his efforts. At one meeting, Krupski said a resident noted that in most cases, were the island privately owned, the public would be asking the government to save it; now, he said, the situation is reversed.
He also commended Zeldin for having a plan once the island is protected from sale, with hopes of utilizing the "world class" research facility.

Riverhead Town Councilman Tim Hubbard also thanked Zeldin. "Today is great news," he said.

New zoning adopted by Southold

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 an earlier press event, Russell said when the potential sale was first discussed, 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."

Russell said even if someone 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 to employ 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 events, 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.

Zeldin has said the fight is not over until the legislation is signed into law.