{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ct-delegation-announces-victory-for-plum-island", "CT Delegation Announces Victory For Plum IslandRead More", "2020-12-22", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Christopher Murphy", "M001169", "www.murphy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONMembers\r\nof the Connecticut Delegation, including U.S.\r\nSenators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard\r\nBlumenthal (D-Conn.), and U.S.\r\nRepresentatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), John Larson (CT-1), and Joe Courtney (CT-2), today announced\r\nthat the omnibus budget package repeals a mandate thatPlum\r\nIslandbe sold and $18.9\r\nmillion will be allocated for cleanup. It's\r\ntaken years of work to get this done, but finally, we've stopped the\r\nshortsighted plan to sell Plum Island to the highest bidder. Plum Island is so\r\nimportant, both ecologically and historically, and I'm proud to stand with my\r\ncolleagues in the Connecticut and New York delegations who have worked\r\ntirelessly with me to get this repeal across the finish line, said Murphy. Today\r\nwe can finally and fully celebrate preserving Plum Island. This exquisite\r\nenvironmental treasure has been spared a headlong rush to sell to the highest\r\nbidder. We will continue to fight to preserve this special gem from future\r\ndevelopment. Plum Island is a unique environmental resource that is home to hundreds of species of wildlife and numerous\r\nimportant historical sites that must be preserved for future generations\r\nto enjoy. I thank Connecticut's environmental advocates, including Save the\r\nSound and The Nature Conservancy for their tireless work in this effort. I also\r\nthank my colleagues from the New York and Connecticut delegations for their\r\npartnership in securing this important provision, said\r\nBlumenthal. This\r\nis a tremendous victory for Plum Island and the people of Connecticut, and it\r\nis in large part thanks to the hard work and advocacy of the local groups\r\nfighting to protect this ecological treasure. Plum Island is home to a rare\r\nnatural ecosystem that should never be up for sale to the highest bidder.\r\nCongress has an obligation to protect this island and its natural resources.\r\nThat is why as a leader on the House Appropriations Committee, and now the\r\nChair-elect, I fought to include this language in the fiscal year 2021 spending\r\nbill to preserve Plum Island and prohibit the mandatory sale of this ecological\r\ntreasure. I urge my colleagues to join me in ensuring this rich environment is\r\nprotected well into the future, said DeLauro. The\r\nHouse has successfully and unanimously passed our legislation to preserve Plum\r\nIsland for five years in a row, and the final negotiated omnibus spending\r\npackage released today will get the job done once and for all. Plum Island is\r\nan ecological treasure, and for over a decade the Connecticut and New York\r\ndelegation members have been working across the aisle and across the Long\r\nIsland Sound to get this across the finish line. It's time to move forward and\r\npass this bipartisan deal that will protect Plum Island, and get more relief\r\nout the door to thousands in eastern Connecticut who need it, said\r\nCourtney Blocking\r\ndevelopers from buying up Plum Island is a big win for Connecticut and\r\nconservation efforts. This win wouldn't have happened without the hard work of\r\nlocal conservationists. I'm glad Plum Island will preserved for years to come,\r\nsaid Larson. The fight\r\nto preserve the island, located in Long Island Sound between Connecticut and\r\nNew York, began in 2008 when the federal government announced that that island\r\nwas slated for public sale as part of the planned relocation of the Plum Island\r\nAnimal Disease Center to Kansas. The island is home to numerous flora and fauna\r\nthat are essential to the region's ecosystem, including piping plovers, roseate\r\nterns, and grey and harbor seals. The\r\nprovision, included in the omnibus package, is a modified version of\r\nBlumenthal's Plum Island Conservation Act, cosponsored by Murphy, and the Plum\r\nIsland Preservation Act, cosponsored by DeLauro, Larson, and Courtney. With\r\npassage of this provision, the GSA would be allowed to transfer government land\r\nsuch as Plum Island to another federal agency, state or local government, or\r\nprivate steward  allowing for appropriate and due consideration of all\r\nstakeholders. The provision also requires that any future transfer must\r\nincorporate the whole island as one unit, instead of a piecemeal approach.  ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ct-delegation-announces-victory-for-plum-island"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5522330068051815, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}