Warner & Kaine Announce $2.1 Million to Preserve Historic Battlefields in Virginia

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $2.1 million to preserve parts of the Yorktown and Appomattox Court House Battlefields in Virginia. These grants were awarded through the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

“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. 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,” the Senators said.

Warner and Kaine have successfully worked to preserve and protect Virginia’s historic battlefield sites. In 2016, Warner and Kaine fought to add more than 7,000 acres to the Petersburg National Battlefield through the National DefenseAuthorization Act. Warner has introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), which Kainecosponsored, that 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.

President Trump’s FY 2019 budget proposes eliminating the American Battlefield Protection Program, a 90% percent cut to LWCF, and a 14% percent overall cut to the Department of the Interior – the department responsible for protecting these historic sites. Warner and Kaine have opposed President Trump’s budget cuts to Virginia priorities and will continue fighting for this funding in Congress. 

The following portions of historic battlefields will receive funding from the Department of the Interior:

• Appomattox Court House Battlefield will receive $95,475 in federal funding.
• Yorktown Battlefield will receive $2,009,252.50 in federal funding.