Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act

Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to express the importance of H.R. 2933, a bill to reauthorize the Civil War Battlefields Preservation Program. I would like to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young of the Committee on Natural Resources for shepherding this bill through their committee. Additionally, Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, Public Lands must be recognized for their work preserving the American landscape for generations of future citizens to enjoy. Additionally, I would like to particularly thank everyone at the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Trust, especially their President, James Lighthizer, for all the work they have done bringing attention and awareness to the need for preservation. Without the Trust, hundreds of acres of land would likely be lost forever.

Preservation of our Nation's Civil War Battlefields is an issue that I hold close to my heart and fresh in my mind. Without a physical link to the past, we are left with only a passing glimpse of who we are as a Nation.

Our historic battlefields provide outdoor classrooms for visitors to recreate the history of heroes from generations come and gone. In 1993, the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, a blue-ribbon panel was created by Congress to investigate the status of America's battlefields. The Commission reported that 384 Civil War battlefields were considered high priority and were in serious danger of destruction. The report concluded that almost 20 percent of the Civil War battlefields were lost or fragmented, 17 percent in poor condition, and 60 percent to have been lost or in imminent danger of being fragmented and lost as coherent historic sites. Congress recognized the need to safeguard the only living link to the ``War Between the States'' and in fiscal year 1999 a preservation program was financed for the first time.

In 2002, I authored the bill that created the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program. To date, this program has helped save more than 15,000 acres in 14 States. The American Battlefield Protection Program, an arm of the National Park Service, manages and competitively awards the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program grants. Furthermore, this legislation will facilitate the creation of partnerships at the State and local level, encouraging the private sector to preserve, conserve, and enhance nationally significant Civil War battlefields.

The program's 50/50 matching grants formula encourages both public and private sector investment in battlefield protection. Grants are directed to State and local governments for land acquisition only and are not issued to nonprofit or private groups. Grant money cannot be used for administrative costs or overhead.

The grants are awarded based on five requirements: (1) The battlefield must be on the list of 384 priority sites determined by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission; (2) The land must be outside the authorized boundaries of the National Park System, thus keeping the program from contributing to National Park Service maintenance costs; (3) Any land acquired with the assistance of the grant program may not be subsequently converted to a non-conservation use without the prior written permission of the Secretary of the Interior; (4) Any grant awarded must be supported by an appraisal of the property's value in accordance with federal standards for property appraisals; and (5) Any land acquired with the assistance of the grant program must be protected by a perpetual easement to ensure its preservation for future generations.

The effect of this program and intent of this legislation is to preserve nationally significant Civil War battlefields through conservation and purchases of those battlefields from willing sellers at fair market value. Preservation of historic battlefields involves only willing sellers when properties become available, and since only willing sellers are involved in the transaction, all private property rights are preserved. There is absolutely no eminent domain authority associated with this program. Willing sellers are compensated at fair- market value and the program allows preservation groups to compete with developers to buy land.

Among the sites saved as a result of this program are historic properties at: Fort Donelson, Tennessee, where the Union scored its first major victory of the war and Union General Ulysses S. Grant earned the nickname ``Unconditional Surrender''; Antietam, Maryland, where 23,000 soldiers were killed, marking the bloodiest day in American history and leading to the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation; and, Chancellorsville, Virginia, where a much smaller Confederate force defeated the larger Union force, while suffering the loss of the famed General Thomas ``Stonewall'' Jackson.

Despite the progress, we still have more to do. Many sites have only been partially preserved and those that have no opportunity for acquisition run the risk of being lost forever. Only about 20 percent of the actual battlefields upon which the Civil War was fought are currently preserved. All of the rest of that hallowed ground is either unprotected or has already been destroyed.

These battlefields offer a porthole to the past. The vivid imagery of an epic conflict can remind visitors of the struggles our country has gone through to preserve the banner of liberty and justice for all. Memorializing the conflict, Oliver Wendell Holmes said, ``We have shared the incommunicable experience of war. We felt, we still feel, the passion of life to its top. In our youths, our hearts were touched by fire.'' By preserving this Nation's historic Civil War Battlefields, we can give visitors a sense of what Mr. Holmes was talking about.

Since fiscal year 1999, Congress has appropriated $36 million to preserve Civil War Battlefields and the White House included a $4 million request for the program as part of its fiscal year 2009 budget. H.R. 2933 is a clean bill that would extend the authorization, from fiscal years 2009 through 2013 for battlefield preservation grants under the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2002. The program's necessity, and proof that the preservation of history is a bipartisan issue, is demonstrated by more than 100 cosponsors divided nearly equally between Republicans and Democrats. A companion bill, authored by Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, has already been approved by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and enjoys widespread support in that chamber. I thank the Speaker and I respectfully request and urge you to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of my colleagues to Patriot Week in Trenton, New Jersey. On December 26, 1776, Colonial soldiers under the command of General George Washington crossed the Delaware River and engaged in the first Battle of Trenton. As Thomas Paine wrote, this happened during ``times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.''

On this historic day more than two centuries ago, over 2,400 patriots proved that they were not summer soldiers, battling their way through a winter sleet storm, strong winds and the ice-strewn Delaware River. Against all odds, Washington and his soldiers completed the crossing, marched silently to Trenton on Christmas night with cannon, and arrived taking the Hessian garrison by surprise. This engagement, followed by the pivotal Battle of Princeton, has been called ``the beginning of the winning.''

The crossing of the Delaware is a story that must be told again and again so all generations will know this feat and the new life it gave the American Revolution. On December 26 through 31 of this year, again this year, the Trenton Downtown Association will celebrate the 131st anniversary of this history-changing event through Patriot Week, the largest Revolutionary War festival in America.

Patriot Week in the Trenton area will include over 50 events, including the reenactment of Washington's crossing of the Delaware, puppet shows and other children's activities, tours by bus and on foot, and lectures and panel discussions. These events will help pass down this great and important story to our children and to adults, the story of the War for Independence. I am sure these events will be both informative and entertaining, as they have been in previous years, and I look forward to attending some of these events myself.

I am proud that in my central New Jersey district we honor the sacrifices that were made to found this great Nation through events like Patriot Week and through the Crossroads of the American Revolution which commemorates 14 counties in New Jersey where the War for Independence took place.

However, our battles against Britain for a free and democratic nation took place in over 19 States and over two wars, and each of these States has its own unique story about its role in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Many States, however, have not taken sufficient steps to preserve the sites of those battles. Out of the 825 significant battlefields and associated sites of the American Revolution and the War of 1812, more than 100 of these battlefields have been lost, about 250 are in fragmented or poor condition, and another 220 are in danger of being destroyed within the next few years. Therefore, some of us have sponsored here in the House of Representatives the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act, H.R. 160, and the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Commemorative Coin Act, H.R. 158. H.R. 160 would create a national program for the preservation of historic battlefields. It would allow officials of the American Battlefield Protection Program to collaborate with State and local governments and nonprofit organizations to preserve and protect the most endangered historical sites and to provide up to 50 percent of the cost of purchasing battlefield land threatened by sprawl and commercial development. H.R. 158 would provide the necessary funding for these purchases by authorizing the creation and issuance of commemorative coins for these two wars.

History is best understood by those who have had the opportunity to touch it, experience it and live it. On December 26 through 31, over 4,000 people will be reliving the history of the Battle of Trenton during Patriot Week. It is my hope that Congress will pass H.R. 160 and H.R. 158 to allow other States the privilege of preserving their historic battlefields where their citizens, and

all citizens, can experience the history of the founding of our great Nation.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from Guam. And I rise as the author of H.R. 160, the American revolution and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act, and to urge support of this legislation by my colleagues.

I would like to thank Chairman Rahall and Chairman Grijalva for their help in bringing this legislation to the floor today.

Madam Speaker, from the shot heard around the world at Lexington to the beginning of the winning, when Washington crossed the Delaware, to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, the stories of the American revolution bring to life the ideals of liberty and democracy fostered by our Nation's Founders.

History is best experienced by those who can touch it, feel it, live it, and the battlefields of the American Revolution and the War of 1812 provide a great opportunity for Americans to experience where and how the epic struggle for our Nation's independence took place.

Preserving these American historic treasures is essential in remembering the sacrifices that our forefathers made to secure our freedom and independence, and essential for educating future generations about our rich cultural history.

Unfortunately, urbanization, suburban sprawl, unplanned development are constantly encroaching on many of the significant battlefields of that period. This encroachment poses a severe and growing risk to preservation of these historically significant sites.

As Ms. Bordallo has just said, this spring the National Park Service published its report to Congress on the historic preservation of Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 sites in the United States. And this report shows that there is a great need to act and to act quickly to preserve these sites. Out of the 677 nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, 99 are already lost forever, 234 are fragmented or in poor condition, an additional 170 are in danger of being destroyed in the next decade.

H.R. 160 will authorize the use of money in the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the preservation and protection of the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields and related historical sites, in addition to the Civil War sites already covered under current law. And I might add, that law has been very successful. This legislation is patterned after the Civil War battlefields legislation which has been so successful.

This bill will allow officials of the American Battlefield Protection Program to collaborate with State and

local governments and nonprofit organizations to preserve and protect the most endangered historical sites, and to provide up to 50 percent of the costs of purchasing battlefield land threatened by sprawl and commercial development.

The story of the American Revolution and the War of 1812 crisscrosses 33 States, from New York to Louisiana, from Georgia to Oregon, and enacting this legislation will allow these States to better preserve their history and their role in these engagements.

I have also introduced legislation that I hope Congress will pass next year to provide additional funding for the program created in H.R. 160, the American Revolution and War of 1812 Commemorative Coin Act.

As the gentleman from Alaska alluded, my home State of New Jersey has a unique role in the American Revolution. In 2006, I am pleased to report, Congress took action to help protect the battlefields and historic sites where this conflict took place. We passed legislation that created the Crossroads of the American Revolution national heritage area, linking together 14 counties in New Jersey where more military engagements took place than in any other State. New Jersey was truly the crossroads of the American Revolution for a number of reasons, and I am pleased that we are taking steps to preserve the record of those engagements. H.R. 160 will allow many more historic battlefields to be preserved for our children's and our children's children to enjoy. We want to give Americans the opportunity to learn history. People who know history can be better citizens today and more engaged in current civic affairs.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 160) to amend the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to establish a battlefield acquisition grant program for the acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 160, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act was introduced by my colleague on the Natural Resources Committee, the Honorable Congressman Rush Holt. This bill would provide Federal matching grants to help in the acquisition and preservation of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

Urbanization, suburban sprawl and unplanned commercial and residential development have increasingly encroached upon these battlefield sites, threatening their historical integrity, and even resulting in the loss of some sites all together. A 2007 National Park Service study concluded that as many as 170 Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields and associated sites face imminent injury or destruction in the next decade.

H.R. 160 will enable State and local governments to obtain Federal grants to leverage matching private funds to acquire endangered sites for preservation and protection of these places which influence the course of our American history.

I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) for all his work on this legislation and his commitment to the preservation of these historic places. I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt), the sponsor of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2933) to amend the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to extend the authorization for that Act, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, since its inception in 1996, the American battlefield protection program has provided grants for preserving endangered Civil War battlefields which are specifically not part of the National Park System.

The program contains two components. The battlefield preservation grants program is designed to help State and local government, organizations and citizens protect battlefield sites. The battlefield acquisition grant program provides matching funds to help State and local governments acquire and preserve battlefield sites.

Together, these grant programs have helped to protect more than 15,000 acres at 72 Civil War battlefields and have leveraged $52 million in non-Federal funding for battlefield protection. With enactment of H.R. 160, which was just considered, this program will be expanded to include Revolutionary War and War of 1812 sites, making the program even stronger.

I commend our colleague, Representative Gary Miller of California, for his leadership on this issue and his commitment to historic preservation. This is a truly bipartisan measure with more than 100 cosponsors from both parties. I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, but I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would like to make mention, and I think it is fitting that we are entertaining this bill today on what marks the 146th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.