Gov. Andrew Cuomo was at the tip of the North Fork today to call on federal officials to let the state participate in the cleanup of Plum Island, the animal disease research facility located off the coast of Orient Point.

Cuomo says the federal government should let the state oversee any cleanup efforts performed by federal officials, before the government sells the tightly guarded island as planned.

"We want the state to be part of that investigation so we can see with our own eyes what the situation is," the governor said.

The lab on the island is slated to close in 2019. Town of Southold officials recently changed the zoning of Plum Island to prevent any kind of residential development on the 840-acre island once the lab is closed.