WASHINGTON, D.C. – Virginia’s two U.S. Senators have worked to gain $2.1 million in federal funding to preserve historic battlefields in the commonwealth.
Mark Warner and Tim Kaine both announced the gains on May 3. The money will be provided to Virginia through grants awarded from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
The funding will be spread between two historical battlefields. Appomattox Court House Battlefield will receive $95,475, with Yorktown Battlefield receiving $2,009,252.50.
“Virginia is home to some of America’s most historic sites, and the National Park Service and localities have worked hard to protect them from encroaching development,” said the Senators said in a joint statement.
Both Senators from Virginia have been busy to make funding accessible for the state’s battlefields.
According to the release, Warner and Kaine added more than 7,000 acres to the Petersburg National Battlefield through the National Defense Authorization Act. Warner has introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), which Kaine cosponsored, and would address the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog at the National Park Service.
When Kaine first joined the Senate, he introduced bipartisan legislation with former Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) that was signed into law in 2014 to reauthorize and expand the American Battlefield Protection Program. As Governor, Kaine worked across the aisle to preserve more than 400,000 acres of open space in Virginia.
“Virginia’s battlefields also play a key role in tourism, open space preservation and boosting local economies. It’s important to preserve them so that future generations can visit, reflect on our history, and learn from the past,” added the Senators.
