MINEOLA, N.Y. — Lawmakers in New York and Connecticut are renewing efforts to halt the planned sale of Plum Island.
The 840-acre island off the eastern tip of Long Island houses the government's only lab studying infectious diseases that could imperil the U.S. livestock industry. A new lab is being built in Kansas and plans call for Plum Island to be sold.
New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, along with Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and others have introduced legislation that would halt the sale of the land to the highest bidder.
Among those who have mused about possibly buying the island is GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The lawmakers say it should be considered as a possible national park. They want federal officials to study alternatives to auctioning the property.
