Kaine in Fredericksburg to Promote Battlefield Protection Act

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and representatives of the Civil War Trust and the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust met in Fredericksburg Friday to promote a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the American Battlefield Protection Program.

The group made their comments at Slaughter Pen Farm battlefield.

The proposed legislation, which Kaine is co-sponsoring with Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), would extend the Civil War battleground protection program through 2018 and add Revolutionary War and War of 1812 site eligibility.

"Suburban sprawl and haphazardly-planned development are encroaching on many significant battlefields," Kaine said.

"The American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act would reauthorize the American Battlefield Protection Program, which provides matching grants for buying land – at fair market value from willing sellers – to preserve as hallowed ground," Kaine said.  The program is scheduled to expire at the end of September.

The Civil War Trust estimates that there are still 50,000 acres of unprotected battlefield land in Virginia that meet the criteria of this program.  "The Civil War Trust has preserved 122 Virginia battlefields out of 384 for the entire program – by far the most in one state," Kaine said.

Kaine said battlefield preservation also helps the economy.  A study in Virginia found Civil War visitors stay twice as long and spend double the money of the average tourist.

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