U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., says he’ll introduce legislation to permanently block the sale of Plum Island.
The 840-acre island is just off the tip of Long Island, not far from the Hamptons. It’s home to the Department of Homeland Security’s animal disease lab.
In 2008, Congress voted to move the lab to Kansas and sell Plum Island off to the highest bidder to pay for the new one. Blumenthal says since then, Congress has appropriated the money for the new lab, so selling it would be unnecessary.
The congressional delegations in Connecticut and Long Island have been fighting for years to preserve the island, which is home to more than 400 species of animals, including some endangered species.
The House passed a bill last month to stop the Island from being sold and developed.
