The Trump administration said Tuesday it would use $8.6 million in offshore-drilling revenue to preserve historic battlefields in several Southern states.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund cash will help state and local entities acquire and preserve battlefields in Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Virginia. The projects include battlegrounds from the Revolutionary War, Civil War and War of 1812.
“These awards expand the local stewardship efforts of state and local governments and preservation partners to increase protection of the irreplaceable historic and cultural landscapes in their communities,” said Jessica Bowron, the acting director of the National Park Service, said in a statement.
The conservation fund draws revenues from offshore oil and gas development to acquire new federal land. The Great American Outdoors Act of 2020 authorized the fund at $900 million per year.
