PLUM ISLAND PRESERVATION STUDY ACT

On 2024-12-18, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) delivered a floor speech titled "PLUM ISLAND PRESERVATION STUDY ACT" in the Senate. The speech addressed taxes and also covered the environment, foreign policy. It referenced legislation including HR82, S7156, S7162, among other bills.

PLUM ISLAND PRESERVATION STUDY ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 188 (Wednesday, December 18, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 188 (Wednesday, December 18, 2024)] [Senate] [Pages S7156-S7162] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PLUM ISLAND PRESERVATION STUDY ACT The bill (S. 5136) to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of Plum Island, which had been reported from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The amendment (No. 3344), in the nature of a substitute, was agreed to, as follows: (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute) Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Plum Island Preservation Study Act''. SEC. 2. PLUM ISLAND PRESERVATION STUDY. (a) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior. (2) Study area.--The term ``study area'' means the consolidated Federal asset commonly known as ``Plum Island'' in the State of New York and all improvements on and to the Federal asset, including-- (A) the Orient Point facility; and (B) all real and personal property, all transportation assets, and all associated infrastructure that support-- (i) Plum Island operations; and (ii) access to Plum Island. (b) Study.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a study to determine the appropriateness of-- (A) designating all or a portion of the study area as a unit of the National Park System or a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System; or (B) providing protection for the resources of the study area by other means. (2) Contents.--In conducting the study under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall-- (A) evaluate the national significance of the study area; (B) consult with interested Federal agencies, State or local governmental entities, private and nonprofit organizations, or any other interested individuals; and (C) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance associated with the alternatives considered. (3) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are first made available to carry out the study under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report that describes-- (A) the findings and conclusions of the study; and (B) any recommendations of the Secretary. The bill (S. 5136), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read the third time, and passed. Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, I am going to say a few words, and then others who have supported these bills, such as Senator Cornyn, Senator Hoeven, and Senator Welch, will speak to others as well. The bill that I am very gratified and grateful that this body has now approved is S. 5136, the Plum Island Preservation Study Act, with the amendment that we just approved as well. Very simply, I have been working on this issue for a long time. Plum Island has been there for a long time. Indigenous people treasure Plum Island; 800 acres with plant and animal species; thriving seal populations; species that now are endangered, like the piping plover and the roseate tern; and over the years, two significant locations: Fort Terry and the Plum Island Lighthouse. It was a treasure then, and it is a treasure now. I haven't been working on it for as long as, obviously, it has been regarded as a treasure, but over the years that I have worked on it now--more than a decade--with Majority Leader Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Senator Murphy, as well as State and local stakeholders and countless advocates, we have come to the realization that we need to preserve Plum Island. Those 800 acres are in the midst of one of the most densely populated areas in the United States, and Plum Island is a home to those really valuable species of wildlife and habitat, an ecosystem that really supports wildlife up and down the east coast, for example, when populations of birds come there to rest and nest. We are not going to make 500 acres--let alone 800 acres--of important ecological habitat in the middle of Long Island Sound if it is lost, and it has been threatened with loss because it had served as a site for a research facility, biological research, classified mostly--I have visited it--and that research facility is going to be moved to Kansas. The question has been, What happens now to Plum Island? The possibility of commercial development or residential buildings has been there from time to time. [[Page S7157]] The requirement existed that Plum Island be sold when the research facility moved. In 2020, Congress successfully repealed the requirement to sell Plum Island and prevented a private developer from coming to develop it and destroy the really enormous ecological and environmental value that it provides. But stopping this sale was not enough. I have continued to push for a permanent preservation outcome for Plum Island, ensuring that the island is protected for generations to come. Earlier this year, I was proud to introduce a pair of bills that would require our Federal Agencies to work internally and help determine the future of the island. Both of these bills passed out of committee with bipartisan support, and there is bipartisan support for this measure, as there should be, because it is about our environmental future and the preservation of open space and a rare resource for the Nation. Passage of today's legislation marks a monumental stride towards conserving Plum Island. This measure will require the U.S. Department of the Interior to determine how to designate Plum Island as a unit of the Department of the Interior and how to preserve it for the use of people for generations to come and protect it from development, to conserve it for people to use recreationally, to make sure that it is available for wildlife that can be studied and observed and enjoyed by the people of Connecticut, New York, and all around the country. I have worked closely with the Department of the Interior on how this study should be done, and I want to thank the Department for its input on the language in this legislation. The study is crucial as a first step, but, obviously, equally more important, in fact, is the outcome, and it needs to be done before the end of this decade. It must be completed before Plum Island's transition is done. I want to thank my colleagues again--Senator Schumer, who has been totally dedicated to this cause, Senator Gillibrand, and Senator Murphy--for their cosponsorship for this bill. It will have a lasting and historic effect because it enables Plum Island to become part of our Federal resource protection ecosystem through the Department of the Interior. I urge that this study be conducted quickly, expeditiously, thoroughly, and within less than 5 years. Certainly, it is doable in a couple of years, and I would urge that the Department of the Interior address it right away. I thank my colleagues for joining me in support of this bill. I yield to the senior Senator from Texas. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas. Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I thank my colleague from Connecticut for offering the unanimous consent request by which we passed these various bills. I just want to discuss the Big Bend National Park Boundary Act. Texas is home to very diverse terrain, which includes vibrant wildlife and big, wide-open spaces, and Big Bend National Park is no exception. This legislation that we just passed by unanimous consent here in the Senate expands and preserves the park's heritage, its natural resources, and its jaw-dropping scenery, while also safeguarding private property rights. This bill authorizes the National Park Service to acquire approximately 6,100 acres of land adjacent to Terlingua Creek, along the western boundary of the park. It clarifies that the National Park Service may only acquire lands through donation, purchase from willing property owners, or exchange, and it explicitly prohibits the use of eminent domain or condemnation, thereby protecting private property rights. This legislation is important for helping Texans and all Americans enjoy our big, beautiful national parks, and I am pleased that the Senate has adopted this legislation today by unanimous consent. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut. Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, I had hoped we would be joined by Senator Hoeven, but I just want to commend him for another of the measures we have just approved by unanimous consent. I am a cosponsor with him of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Museum Artifacts Act. This measure is enormously important to preserve the artifacts and other memorabilia of one of our Presidents-- one of our great Presidents--Theodore Roosevelt. I have been to that part of the country--the Badlands--and visited that part of the country, and I think this measure will be a fitting, educational resource. It will be a destination. Now, I think that a lot of people may wonder, why there? Well, Theodore Roosevelt's connection to the Badlands and the Dakotas is well known, and making it a destination will draw more Americans to appreciate that part of our great Nation, which is so beautiful. I want to commend the private contributors. This library museum will be the result of many private donations and contributions led by a team of one of my constituents Charlie Melcher, and it will be a real tribute not only to Theodore Roosevelt but to America's commitment to its history, its living history, and making it living history for so many young people, families, and others, who will appreciate Theodore Roosevelt's legacy to this Nation. I see we have been joined by my colleague from Vermont, and I am happy to yield to him. Mr. WELCH. Thank you, Senator, I am fully supportive of the work that you

Referenced legislation: S1, HR82, S432, S4129, S5136