The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Tuesday it would offer a pilot program for green burial sections at three national cemeteries.
The agency said the program provides veterans with burial options that minimize environmental impact. The three national cemeteries participating are National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona; Pikes Peak National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.
The VA’s National Cemetery Administration is trying the pilot program.
“NCA is pleased to begin offering this new option to veterans and their family members eligible for interment in a VA national cemetery,” Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters said in a statement. “This pilot reflects our commitment to understand and address the emerging burial preferences of veterans and their loved ones.”
Lawmakers gave VA the authority to establish green burial sections through the National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection Act of 2022. VA officials said they wanted to offer a more environmentally sustainable burial option for Veterans and their eligible dependents in national cemeteries.
The program will allow NCA to gather information and define operational procedures for implementing green burial sections at additional cemeteries.
Veterans seeking interment in these national cemeteries can request green burials effective immediately.
