US study backs NY Plum Island sale
(AP) — A report due out later this week recommends the U.S. government proceed with the sale of New York's Plum Island, home to America's only laboratory that studies infectious animal diseases that could affect the livestock industry.
The remote 840-acre (340-hectare) island is off the eastern tip of Long Island. The government plans to close the lab and open a new $1.14 billion facility in Kansas.
A draft of the General Services Administration's environmental impact statement on the sale of Plum Island will be published Friday. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report Wednesday afternoon.
The report examines possible future uses for the island, including housing or a nature preserve. But it does not recommend what use is best. It also does not estimate a sale price.
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