Congressional Record, Volume 162 Issue 77 (Monday, May 16, 2016)

[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 77 (Monday, May 16, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H2406-H2409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

{time} 1715
REQUIRING COMPTROLLER GENERAL TO ASSESS OPTIONS FOR DISPOSITION OF PLUM
ISLAND ANIMAL DISEASE CENTER IN PLUM ISLAND, NEW YORK

Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1887) to amend certain appropriation Acts to repeal the
requirement directing the Administrator of General Services to sell
Federal property and assets that support the operations of the Plum
Island Animal Disease Center in Plum Island, New York, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 1887

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The Federal Government has owned Plum Island, New York,
since 1899.
(2) Since 1954, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center has
conducted unrivaled scientific research on a variety of
infectious animal-borne diseases, including foot-and-mouth
disease, resulting, most recently, in the development of a
new cell line that rapidly and reliably detects this highly
debilitating disease of livestock.
(3) Over 62 years, the Center has had a strong, proven
record of safety.
(4) $23,200,000 in Federal dollars have been spent on
upgrades to, and the maintenance of, the Center since January
2012.
(5) In addition to the Center, Plum Island contains
cultural, historical, ecological, and natural resources of
regional and national significance.
(6) Plum Island is situated where the Long Island Sound and
Peconic Bay meet, both of which are estuaries that are part
of the National Estuary Program and are environmentally and
economically significant to the region.
(7) The Federal Government has invested hundreds of
millions of Federal dollars over the last two decades to make
long-term improvements with respect to the conservation and
management needs of Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay.

[[Page H2407]]

(8) The Department of Homeland Security has undertaken a
study to consider alternatives for the final disposition of
Plum Island, including an analysis of--
(A) conservation of the island's resources;
(B) any remediation responsibilities;
(C) the need for any legislative changes;
(D) cost; and
(E) any revenues from the alternatives.

SEC. 2. REPORT REQUIRED ON STUDY BY DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY ON CLEAN UP AND ALTERNATIVE USES OF
PLUM ISLAND.

(a) Assessment by Comptroller General.--
(1) Assessment required.--The Comptroller General of the
United States shall conduct an assessment of the study by the
Department of Homeland Security on the options for the
disposition of Plum Island referred to in section 1(8). Such
assessment shall include a determination of whether the
methodologies used by the Department in conducting such study
adequately support the Department's findings with respect to
the following:
(A) The possible alternative uses for Plum Island,
including the transfer of ownership to another Federal
agency, a State or local government, a nonprofit
organization, or a combination thereof for the purpose of
education, research, or conservation.
(B) The possible issues and implications, if any, of
pursuing such alternative uses for Plum Island.
(C) The potential cost to be incurred for expenses related
to the transition, cleanup, and hazard mitigation of Plum
Island by a recipient of such property.
(2) Report required.--Not later than 180 days after the
date on which the Department of Homeland Security completes
the study referred to in section 1(8), the Comptroller
General of the United States shall submit to Congress a
report containing the following:
(A) The results of the assessment described under paragraph
(1).
(B) A description of the Secretary of Homeland Security's
coordination with the Administrator of General Services, the
Secretary of the Interior, and the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency in conducting the Department
of Homeland Security study referred to in section 1(8).
(b) Study by Comptroller General.--
(1) Study required.--If the Comptroller General of the
United States determines that the methodologies referred to
in subsection (a)(1) do not adequately support the Department
of Homeland Security's findings related to an issue described
in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of such subsection, the
Comptroller General shall conduct a study on any such issue.
(2) Report required.--If the Comptroller General of the
United States conducts a study under paragraph (1), not later
than one year after the date on which the Department of
Homeland Security completes the study referred to in section
1(8), the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a
report containing the results of the study conducted under
paragraph (1).

SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF ACTION.

No action may be taken to carry out section 538 of title V
of division D of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012
(Public Law 112-74; 125 Stat. 976) until at least 180 days
after the reports required by subsection (a)(2) of section 2
and, if applicable, subsection (b)(2) of such section have
been submitted to Congress.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.

General Leave

Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, after my remarks, I will include an exchange of letters
between the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the
Committee on Homeland Security regarding H.R. 1887.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1887, which suspends an
appropriations provision in order to ensure that all necessary
information is accessible before deciding how to move forward with Plum
Island Animal Disease Center.
Since 1954, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and
Technology Directorate's Plum Island Animal Disease Center has served
the Nation in defending against accidental or intentional introduction
of foreign animal diseases. In 2005, DHS announced that Plum Island
would be moved to a new Federal facility in Kansas. While DHS will
eventually move the research conducted, Plum Island will continue to
operate until the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility is fully
operational and a complete transition has been made in 2022 or 2023.
The gentleman from New York, Representative Zeldin, my friend,
introduced H.R. 1887 with strong bipartisan support from the entire
Long Island and Connecticut delegations in both the House and the
Senate to stop the sale of Plum Island.
DHS recently undertook a study on alternatives for the disposition of
Plum Island. As amended, H.R. 1887 suspends the sale of Plum Island
until a thorough review of the analysis of alternatives is conducted by
DHS and GAO. The bill before us today requires GAO to review the DHS
study and report to Congress on whether the methodologies DHS uses
adequately support the Department's findings. If those methodologies
are found lacking, GAO must study possible alternative uses for Plum
Island and possible costs associated for the transition and cleanup of
the island.
H.R. 1887 delays the sale of Plum Island until GAO reports its
findings to Congress, allowing for a complete understanding of possible
options for Plum Island once the Animal Disease Center functions are
transitioned. This bill ensures consideration of all options for the
disposition of the island.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of
Representatives,
Washington, DC, May, 12, 2016.
Hon. Michael McCaul,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman McCaul: I write concerning H.R. 1887, a bill
to amend certain appropriation Acts to repeal the requirement
directing the Administrator of General Services to sell
federal property and assets that support the operations of
the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in Plum Island, New
York.'' This legislation includes matters that fall within
the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure.
In order to expedite Floor consideration of H.R. 1887, the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will forgo
action on this bill. However, this is conditional on our
mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill
does not prejudice the Committee with respect to the
appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional
claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or
similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X
jurisdiction. I request you urge the Speaker to name members
of the Committee to any conference committee named to
consider such provisions.
Please place a copy of this letter and your response
acknowledging our jurisdictional interest in the
Congressional Record during House Floor consideration of the
bill. I look forward to working with the Committee on
Homeland Security as the bill moves through the legislative
process.
Sincerely,
Bill Shuster,
Chairman.
____

House of Representatives,

Committee on Homeland Security,

Washington, DC, May 16, 2016.
Hon. Bill Shuster,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Shuster: Thank you for your letter regarding
H.R. 1887. I appreciate your support in bringing this
legislation before the House of Representatives, and
accordingly, understand that the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure will not seek a sequential referral on the
bill.
The Committee on Homeland Security concurs with the mutual
understanding that by foregoing a sequential referral of this
bill at this time, the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure does not waive any jurisdiction over the
subject matter contained in this bill or similar legislation
in the future. In addition, should a conference on this bill
be necessary, I would support your request to have the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure represented on
the conference committee.
I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional
Record during consideration of this bill on the House floor.
I thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Michael T. McCaul,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R.
1887 and yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, since 1954, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New
York's Long Island Sound has served as the primary laboratory in the
United States responsible for research on foreign animal diseases of
livestock, such

[[Page H2408]]

as foot-and-mouth disease and other animal diseases that could be
accidentally or deliberately introduced into the United States.
At Plum Island, the Department of Homeland Security works with the
Agricultural Research Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research and
develop new vaccines and diagnostic tests to respond to animal disease
outbreaks.
On September 11, 2005, DHS announced plans to develop the National
Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, or NBAF, as a state-of-the-art
biocontainment laboratory to replace the Plum Island facility, an aging
facility nearing the end of its lifecycle. After undertaking a
multiyear site selection process, DHS selected a site in Manhattan,
Kansas, for the NBAF. It is slated to begin operations in 2022.
This brings us to H.R. 1887. The focus of this bill is to deal with
the question of what to do with Plum Island once DHS no longer needs
it. DHS is currently studying the range of options for disposition of
the property, including transferring it to another Federal agency, a
State or local government, or a nonprofit organization for the purposes
of education, research, or conservation. In doing so, DHS is expected
to assess the full implications of each option, including cost,
cleanup, and hazard mitigation.
H.R. 1887 requires the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, to
assess whether DHS' forthcoming study is adequate to support its
findings. In the event that the study is lacking in a key area, GAO
would be required to conduct its own study on that issue or issues.
Importantly, H.R. 1887 prohibits the sale of Plum Island operations
until at least 180 days after the required reports in the bill have
been submitted to Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Zeldin), my distinguished colleague.
Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Ratcliffe) and Mr. Thompson as well for both speaking in favor of this
legislation, H.R. 1887.
Plum Island is not for sale. The whole purpose of this legislation is
to prevent the sale of Plum Island by the Federal Government to the
highest bidder.
Situated at the gateway of the Long Island Sound, Plum Island is
treasured by my 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.
With recorded history dating back to the 1700s, Plum Island is also
an essential cultural and historical resource as well. Since World War
II, Plum Island has been utilized as a research laboratory. The
facility, which has been under Federal jurisdiction since 1899, has
since grown to become what is known today as 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 National Bio and
Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas.
To offset the cost of the relocation, a law was enacted that called
for the private sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder. However, due
to costs associated with the cleanup and closure of Plum Island and
because of local zoning restrictions, the Federal Government would
receive little compensation for the sale of Plum Island. Allowing for
continued research, public access, and permanent preservation of the
island, H.R. 1887 will reverse a 2008 law that mandated the sale of
Plum Island.
The bill, as amended, will commission the Government Accountability
Office, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, which
currently owns the island, to formulate a comprehensive plan for the
future of the island. This plan will include possible alternative uses,
which can include transfer of ownership to another Federal agency, the
State or local government, nonprofit, or combination thereof, for the
purpose of education, research, and conservation.
Just less than 3 weeks ago, on April 28, 2016, H.R. 1887 was marked
up with an amendment and passed out of the House Homeland Security
Committee with unanimous bipartisan support. Currently, 24 Republicans
and Democrats in this Chamber have signed on as cosponsors of this
bill.
I see the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney) is here. He has
long been championing this issue since before I got here.
I would especially like to thank House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy
and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul for both
taking such a direct, personal interest in helping with this effort in
the House. Their leadership is very much appreciated.
I would also like to thank all the locally elected officials, groups,
and concerned residents on Long Island and elsewhere who have moved
heaven and Earth to raise awareness of this cause and help recruit
cosponsors.
I encourage all my colleagues to vote in support of this critical
bill. Hopefully, the Senate also passes this long-awaited legislation
in earnest so that the President can sign this proposal into law this
year.
I have had the opportunity to visit Plum Island. It is a place where
you feel as if you are thousands of miles away from Long Island. You
have the history of Fort Terry, the coastline, the dunes, the
waterways, the water hitting the rocks, and the seals. You literally
feel as if you are nowhere near the Northeastern United States. It is a
treasure, and it is one that should be protected.
Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful for this Chamber's considering this
legislation and hopefully passing it unanimously.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).
Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to, first of all, thank Mr.
Thompson of Mississippi for his interest and support in this measure,
even though he hails from a part of the country which is far away from
the Long Island Sound. But, again, going back to his days on the
Agriculture Committee, he clearly knows the forensics of this
legislation, and, again, his interest and support is much appreciated.
I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) for bringing this
bill up today.
Again, Long Island Sound, maybe, is not right on your radar screen,
but as Congressman Zeldin said, it is an incredibly special place, a
tidal estuary which separates Connecticut from New York, and it is
within the New York territory. Frankly, it is a very small, densely
populated area, and the interest level on both sides of the Long Island
Sound in terms of passage of this legislation is off the charts.
I again want to thank Mr. Zeldin for his efforts.
Again, this measure started in 2013 in response to the GAO report
that basically signaled that the sale of this island was on the fast
track, and it really took persistence up until today's vote on the
floor to make sure that we stop that process, as Mr. Zeldin indicated,
and send the message that Plum Island is not for sale.
Again, because of its unique history, the activity that took place
there with the Animal Disease Center made it unsuitable for residential
development and commercial development, but sort of the outcome of that
is that this incredibly rich diversity of biology has sprung up there.
Like the gentleman from Long Island, I have had the opportunity to
visit there, and it is as if you were in a different world. That is
something that we can never take for granted, particularly in a part of
the country where, again, there are tremendous amounts of sea traffic,
maritime activity, and economic activity. To try and, again, basically
preserve this 840-acre parcel with its incredible richness is something
that really will live on for generations and, really, I think, will
make the 114th Congress memorable, certainly in terms of that region,
for many years to come.
Again, like the gentleman from New York, I want to say that the
external pressure which was brought to bear by municipal officials and
by folks from

[[Page H2409]]

Save the Sound--that is an umbrella group on both sides of the Long
Island Sound--and the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, again, is
what really kept the interest level and the pressure on both
delegations to make sure that this didn't get lost in the process and
allow that mandated sale to move forward.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge passage of this bill, and, again, with
the gentleman from New York, am determined to make sure that this moves
as quickly as possible through the Upper Chamber and is signed into law
by President Obama, sending a message to all the individuals and groups
that are so interested in preserving Plum Island that, in fact, we,
again, have taken it off this sort of conveyor belt and we are going to
make sure that it gets the careful treatment that it deserves. At the
end of the day, it is going to basically preserve this for generations
to come.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1887 has broad bipartisan support. It will ensure
that, before DHS disposes of Plum Island, there is a thorough vetting
of all the options.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
I yield back the balance of my time.

{time} 1730

Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to
support Mr. Zeldin's bill, H.R. 1887.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1887, repeals
the requirement directing the Administrator of General Services to sell
Federal property and assets that support the operations of the Plum
Island Animal Disease Center in Plum Island, New York, and for other
purposes.
Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security I support
this bill because the safety record of the Plum Island Animal Disease
Center is unparalleled.
The Plum Island Animal Disease Center is a United States federal
research facility dedicated to the study of animal diseases. It is part
of the DHS Directorate for Science and Technology.
Since 1954, the center has had the goal of protecting America's
livestock from animal diseases
Throughout the history of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center,
there have been no accidental releases of infected animals to the
mainland.
The Animal Disease Center on Plum Island has conducted first rate
scientific research on a variety of infectious animal-borne diseases,
including foot-and-mouth disease, resulting most recently, in the
development of a new cell line that rapidly and reliably detects this
highly debilitating disease of livestock
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the Animal Disease Center Plum Island
contains cultural, historical, ecological, and natural resources of
regional and national significance.
Importantly, the Federal Government has invested hundreds of millions
of tax payer dollars over the last two decades to make long-term
improvements with respect to the conservation and management needs of
Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay.
Mr. Speaker, preserving historical and geographical entities play a
pivotal role in maintaining homeland security and the sustainability of
our ecosystem and health of our community.
I urge all members to join me in voting to pass H.R. 1887.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1887, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to
authorize the Comptroller General of the United States to assess a
study on the alternatives for the disposition of Plum Island Animal
Disease Center, and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

____________________