ACHP Summer Business Meeting Recap

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation voted today to establish a timeline for considering revisions to the 800 regulations that underpin Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

ACHP Vice Chair Travis Voyles had announced in February that the Council would consider changes to the regulations. At their summer business meeting today in Washington, DC, the Council approved a motion offered by the Interior Department that called on the Council to “expedite” the drafting of revisions by directing Council staff to develop a schedule, including milestones and deliverables, within 30 days; and give Councill members 60 days from today to “provide substantive feedback and proposed changes to current regulations.” The motion does not direct any specific changes to the 800 regulations or establish a deadline for when the Council may issue or vote on any changes.

The Council voted down a motion from the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) that called on the Council to engage in substantive discissions and ensure “broad and meaningful coordination with Indian tribes . . . to inform the process” set forth in the Interior Department’s motion. After the vote, Vice Chair Voyles pledged that the Council would engage meaningfully with Tribes and THPOs.

ACRA’s Government Relations Committee is closely tracking the ACHP’s review of the 800 regulations and working with its preservation partners to ensure that any changes do not undermine the Section 106 review process.