[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 14 (Thursday, February 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E222-E223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND WAR OF 1812 
     BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION ACT AND THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND WAR 
              OF 1812 BATTLEFIELDS COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                  in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 10, 2005

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to introduce two new 
bipartisan bills to provide more federal support for the preservation 
and protection of the endangered Revolutionary War and War of 1812 
battlefields and related historic sites in New Jersey and many other 
states. I am especially pleased that U.S. Representatives Jo Ann Davis, 
Maurice Hinchey, John McHugh, Ed Markey, John Sweeney, and Mark Souder 
have joined me as original cosponsors of this much-needed legislation.
  In 1996, the Congress enacted the American Battlefield Protection 
Act, which established the American Battlefield Protection Program 
(ABPP) within the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). At the same time, 
the Congress directed the U.S. Park Service to conduct a comprehensive 
study of endangered Revolutionary War and War of 1812 sites for

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submission to the Congress, to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and 
to the Office of Management and Budget. The U.S. Park Service study is 
to be completed in the coming spring and opened for at least a 90-day 
public comment period.
  In my home state of New Jersey, many sites have already been surveyed 
and ranked highly for preservation. Preliminary surveys indicate that 
five New Jersey sites are in the most jeopardy (the Trenton, Princeton, 
and Monmouth Battlefields plus Fort Lee and the Second Springfield 
Battlefield) and three of those lie in the heart of the 12th 
Congressional District which I am privileged to represent.
  Current federal law authorizes and appropriates monies from the Land 
and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for the preservation and protection 
of Civil War battlefields and related sites. One of my bills--The 
Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act--would do 
the same for the hallowed battlefields of the Revolutionary War (e.g. 
Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth) and the War of 1812 and related 
historical sites that are also in danger of being lost forever. The 
enactment of this bill would allow National Park Service officials to 
collaborate with state and local governments, non-profit organizations, 
and concerned individuals to preserve and protect endangered 
Revolutionary War and War of 1812 historical sites on the priority 
lists of the forthcoming Park Service study and to provide up to 50 
percent of the costs, for example, of purchasing battlefield land 
threatened by sprawl.
  My second bill--The Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefields 
Commemorative Coin Act--would provide a non-federal fiinding mechanism 
to provide even more funding for the preservation and protection of 
endangered Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields and related 
historical sites. It would authorize the minting of $3.5 million in 
gold, silver, and clad commemorative coins to be sold to the public at 
surcharges of $3-$35, thus generating as much as $23.5 million in seed 
money. Upon collection of these proceeds, the U.S. Treasury Secretary 
would transfer them to the non-partisan, non-profit Revolutionary War 
and War of 1812 Battlefields Foundation to be used exclusively for 
these expressed preservation and protection purposes. It would cost 
U.S. taxpayers nothing. The greatest beneficiaries of these two bills 
would be future generations of Americans who will be able to relive 
more of the history of the Revolutionary War era and the War of 1812, 
the early development of our Nation, and the critically important roles 
played by the people of New Jersey and the other original thirteen 
colonies and the Northwest Territory.

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