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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2009 |
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Contact: Zach Goldberg
202-225-5801 (office) |
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HOLT INTRODUCES COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT
TO RAISE FUNDS TO PRESERVE AT-RISK BATTLEFIELDS
Follows House Passage of Battlefield Protection Act
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(Washington, D.C.) – A week after the U.S. House of Representatives passed his Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act (H.R. 1694), Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) introduced companion legislation to help raise funds to preserve at-risk battlefields. The “Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefields Commemorative Coin Act” (H.R. 2001) is modeled after similar legislation to protect Civil War battlefields. The sale of commemorative Civil War coins raised nearly $6 million dollars and helped leverage tens of millions more for historic preservation.
“Building on the success of the Civil War Commemorative Coin Act, the legislation I am introducing could provide the same level of protection to some of the oldest and most endangered battlefields and historic sites across the country,” Holt said. “It is critical that we preserve the historic monuments from our nation’s earliest days so we can help to ensure that our children and our children’s children experience these important sites and relive our nation’s vibrant history through them.”
Urbanization, suburban sprawl, and unplanned commercial and residential development have encroached on many of the significant battlefields of the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. According to a 2007 National Parks Service (NPS) report, 170 of 677 nationally significant sites associated with the two wars are in danger of being destroyed in the next 10 years, including sites in Trenton and Princeton. Another 234 are in fragmented or poor condition.
Last week, the House of Representatives passed Holt’s bill to establish a federal grant program specifically for preserving and protecting battle sites associated with the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Thirty-three states could benefit if the bill becomes law. The bill now awaits a vote in the Senate.
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