Public hearing on Plum Island’s future set for Monday
The New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation will hold a public hearing Monday morning to discuss Plum Island’s future.
The hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville.
[Related: Advocacy group fighting to block Plum Island sale]
The Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration oversee Plum Island.
The 840-acre island is currently home to the Animal Disease Research Center, run under the DHS, and will be sold to the highest bidder to help offset the cost of building a newer state-of-the-art facility in Kansas.
Despite the federal government’s plans to sell Plum Island to the highest bidder — notably, Donald Trump has expressed interest in it — environmentalists say they believe New York State’s Coastal Zone Management Program could ultimately halt the sale of the island to a private entity.
