Senate Committee Advances Legislation to Reauthorize Nation’s Most Successful Battlefield Preservation Grant Program

(Washington, D.C.) — In a major victory for the protection of America’s hallowed battlegrounds, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously to advance bills to extend the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP), the nation’s most effective historic battlefield preservation grant program.  

The bipartisan legislation, which garnered overwhelming support from both parties, marks a major investment in protecting America’s hallowed ground as the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. In June, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the ABPP Reauthorization Act with a 404-13 vote.

“This bill lays the groundwork for a preservation legacy that will endure for generations,” said American Battlefield Trust President David Duncan. “We are deeply grateful these lawmakers, especially Chairman Lee (R-UT), Ranking Member Heinrich (D-NM), and Sen. Daines (R-MT) understand the power of America’s historic battlegrounds and are helping to safeguard these hallowed grounds for generations to come.”

U.S. Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the bill last December. The companion House bill was introduced earlier this year by U.S. Representatives Jen Kiggans (R-VA) and Seth Magaziner (D-RI), co-chairs of the Congressional Battlefields Caucus.  

“The American Battlefield Protection Program has played a critical role in protecting the places that tell the history of Virginia and the United States,” said Senator Tim Kaine. “I’m glad that our bipartisan legislation to strengthen protections of historic battlefields advanced, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and other stakeholders to get the bill across the finish line.”

“As this year, which marks our nation's 250th anniversary, draws toward its close, the progress of this legislation through the Senate takes on increased importance,” said Senator Dave McCormick. “Protecting battlefield land is a meaningful, permanent and tangible legacy of this wonderful commemoration period.”

The bill reauthorizes three ABPP grant programs through 2036, designating $20 million annually to battlefield preservation efforts, including historic property acquisition, landscape restoration and site interpretation. Additionally, the legislation directs the National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of the Interior to consider detailed strategic studies of sites related to the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War, a major step toward expanding program eligibility.

For a quarter-century, the ABPP’s Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant Program (BLAG) has been the principal mechanism for protecting America’s irreplaceable historic landscapes — with more than 40,000 acres saved and counting. These matching grants are more important than ever as land prices skyrocket throughout the nation, driven by an explosion of data centers and related commercial development that is driving per-acre acquisition costs to record highs.

Nearly $200 million in federal grants has been competitively awarded through the program, matched many times over by private donations and grants from states and localities. This process has allowed nonprofit groups to save battlefield land associated with some of the most iconic clashes in our country’s history, including Appomattox, Brandywine, Chattanooga, Gettysburg, Petersburg, Princeton, Saratoga and Vicksburg. Overall, more than 40,000 acres of historic land at 100-plus battlefields have been preserved in 20 states.  

Currently, BLAG funding can be used to preserve land outside NPS boundaries at high-priority battlefields from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and the Civil War. The bill directs NPS to investigate the feasibility of expanding eligibility for BLAG grants to sites related to the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War, building on 2020 studies funded by ABPP and conducted by Michigan State University and the American Battlefield Trust.  

The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 63,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War across 160 sites in 25 states. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.

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