Contact: Jessica Smith – (202) 228-5158
Monday, March 30, 2009 Kimberly Hunter (202) 228-5258
MEASURE TO PRESERVE VIRGINIA WILDERNESS AREAS AND HISTORIC SITES SIGNED INTO LAW
Contains Three Public Lands Bills Sponsored by Senator Webb
Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) issued the following statement on the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S.22) that was signed into law today by President Obama:
“The legislation signed into law today will help preserve of our nation’s historic sites and battlefields and protect of Virginia’s ridges and valleys. These pristine lands are crucial to instill in future generations a sense of the history and the sacrifices that came before them.
“This bill demonstrates the most significant conservation legislation passed by Congress in the past 15 years. The federal funding and grants made available today will help to maintain these historic areas, create jobs, and encourage tourism.
“I will continue to work with the Virginia delegation to protect the Commonwealth’s cultural history and to preserve and cultivate tourism throughout the region.”
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 contained the following measures sponsored by Senator Webb :
- The Virginia Ridge and Valley Act will designate nearly 43,000 acres of the Jefferson National Forest as wilderness or wilderness study areas. In addition, the legislation designates more than 10,000 acres of the Jefferson National Forest as National Scenic Areas. This bill will also create new Wilderness and National Scenic Areas and expand six existing Wilderness Areas in portions of Bland, Craig, Grayson, Giles, Lee, Montgomery and Smyth Counties within the Jefferson National Forest.
- The Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2009 reauthorizes the battlefield protection program for another five years to protect the Commonwealth of Virginia’s large number of historic battlefields. 6,600 acres have been protected in the Old Dominion alone through this national program.
- The Northern Neck National Heritage Area Study Act will direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the suitability and feasibility of establishing a Northern Neck National Heritage Area. A designation would help the region’s economy through promoting tourism, as well as preserving these sites for future generations.
