| Washington, DC –Congressman Bill Shuster is pleased to announce that the Department of the Interior will acquire land for Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County. The land will be purchased with $5 million which was directly requested by Congressman Shuster.
“This is fantastic news for the families of the heroes of Flight 93 and all Americans,” Shuster said. “The events that occurred over the skies of Pennsylvania on September 11th can never be forgotten. It was a moment that changed the world and showed our unflinching resolve against terrorism. I am proud to be able to say that the Memorial will now have the land it needs to move forward to completion.”
“We are excited and grateful to Congressman Shuster for his hard work in securing the funding we need to move forward on the Memorial,” said Ed Root, President of Families of Flight 93, Inc.
“The Families of Flight 93, on behalf of the survivors of the passengers and crew of United Flight 93, and the many supporters we have in Pennsylvania, express their sincere and heart-felt appreciation and gratitude for Representative Shuster’s unfailing support. He has been one of our most ardent and consistent champions, and we can not fully ever repay him or his staff for what they have done and are doing for us,” said Pat White, Co-chair of the Flight 93 National Memorial Task Force and Vice-President of Families of Flight 93. “We look forward to using these funds to help the National Park Service purchase more of the needed lands so we and our Partners can build the National Memorial by the Tenth Commemoration of September 11th in 2011.”
Congressman Shuster requested the funds for the land purchase during the fiscal year 2007 budget process. Due to differences between the House and Senate, not all of the required spending bills left Congress for Presidential approval. However, Shuster remained committed to the project and fought to keep his request alive as Congress drafted its Continuing Resolution to keep the government operating.
On February 15th of this year, Shuster wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in support of his request. In the letter Shuster urged the department’s support saying:
“Hundreds of thousands of Americans have traveled to the sacred ground of the crash site to pay their respects to the men and women who gave their lives in the first counterattack in the Global War on Terror,” Shuster wrote. “I have visited the site often and have seen the tremendous outpouring of support from the public for the Memorial…By taking this action; the Bush Administration can demonstrate its continued strong commitment to honor the passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 who gave their own lives to save the lives of countless others.”
"We are grateful for the outstanding leadership of Representative Shuster, the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation and the Bush Administration to secure these funds for the Flight 93 National Memorial," said Larry Selzer, president of The Conservation Fund. "These funds will ensure that the hallowed ground of the Flight 93 Memorial will tell the story of the bravery and sacrifices aboard Flight 93 for future generations."
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has committed $10 million for construction of the Memorial and has approved state funding to acquire land within the Memorial boundary as part of State Game Land 93. The Memorial’s non-profit partners have raised over $9.5 million in private funding in support of constructing the Memorial, which is projected to cost $30 million. |
