The federal government has reaffirmed it plans to sell Plum Island, finalizing the environmental review of the animal disease research site off Long Island, even though environmental regulators and some lawmakers say there’s not enough information about the effects of selling it.
The General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security issued what’s called a "record of decision" Thursday night. The document marks one of the last steps before a sale.
Congress voted in 2009 to close the laboratory, which opened in 1954. Sale proceeds would go toward moving the research to Kansas State University.
A GSA environmental study in June suggested homes might be built on the island. Environmental groups want it to become a nature preserve. Some members of Congress want to stop the sale of the island 100 miles east of New York City.
The two agencies said in a statement they issued the record of decision after considering "all the factors discovered and analyzed" during the National Environmental Policy Act process.
When the timeframe for the laboratory’s relocation is known, the agencies said, they will re-examine the environmental impact statement "specifically for the purpose of ensuring that it reflects the then current knowledge of the conditions on the property."
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By The Associated Press
Topeka Capital-Journal
August 30, 2013