Senators have released a “permitting reform bill” that would effectively end Section 106 as we know it – and they plan to vote on it in as little as five weeks.
We need you to tell your congressional representatives that this bill will not only threaten historic properties in their communities but will cause chaos in the project delivery process, cost jobs, and lock the public out of having any say about projects in their own backyard.
ACRA has worked with its preservation partners in support of common-sense ideas to improve the Section 106 process. But a group of Senators has decided instead to draft a bill that would exclude thousands of projects from the Section 106 process; cut states, Tribes and communities out of the process; and allow a single federal official to unilaterally reject mitigation plans.
Worse, this bill was developed behind closed doors, without any input from other members of Congress. Senate leaders are planning to bring the bill to the floor without any discussion or debate in committee, in a lame duck session where legislators who lost their seats will get to vote.
You have the option of sending an email or calling your Senators – or both! Simply select your preferred method of communication at the top.
Please join the thousands of preservation and environmental advocates who are telling Congress they need to stop this bill and make significant changes.
Thank you for providing this opportunity to contact Congress people.
Hello my name is Emily Schmidt, I am an emerging professional in the field of archaeology and history. I have had experience in the Northeast from New York to Delaware excavating sites that are paramount to understanding United States history. This permitting bill that is attempting to be passed will destroy the United States’ preservation and education efforts that you all spoke on in your speeches, back up your words with opposing this bill. Although shadowed in the words of creating jobs and stopping hold ups in work, section 106 does not hold up jobs for often more than a week as archaeologists work tirelessly to not only preserve history but seek to fit within the timeline of the construction companies. Save our history, please. It’s the only way we can learn the way out, is by looking back.
Hi Emily! Please make sure to send this your Senators as well – this only comments on the ACRA post. You can send it directly to them in the widget at the bottom of the post!
As someone who has been educated and trained in this field, and as someone who continues to work in this field after more than 30 years of dedication to this profession and public service, I welcome the opportunity to discuss this critical economic and cultural heritage issue with you or a member of your staff. For more information, I point your staff to various sources of additional information regarding the economic benefits of historic preservation, such as 106Strong.com; the National Council of State Historic Preservation Officers; the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers; and the American Cultural Resources Association.
Hi Greg! Please make sure to send this your Senators as well – this only comments on the ACRA post. You can send it directly to them in the widget at the bottom of the post!
As a constituent and a cultural resources professional, I am writing to urge you to oppose the Senate permitting reform bill in its current form.
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act ensures infrastructure projects move forward while protecting the places that matter to our communities. The process ensures that our communities are consulted about projects in their own backyard, which helps to address problems early in the process and avoid delays later. It also encourages participants to find creative ways to mitigate the damage to historic sites, helping to resolve conflicts that could stop development. That’s why the average Section 106 review takes just 16 days.
The Senate bill would hollow out this landmark law, cutting the public out of the process and leaving countless historic properties unprotected.
First, the bill would let federal agencies decide that many kinds of projects do not need to be reviewed at all. The bill would allow agencies to greenlight projects that mar the landscapes of battlefields and scenic vistas or disrupt sacred spaces with noise.
Second, the bill would allow agencies to make unilateral decisions from Washington with little or no consultation with the communities impacted by those decisions. Even Tribal nations would lose their ability to have a say in how their sacred spaces are affected.
Third, the bill would allow a single federal official to reject ideas that mitigate the damage done to historic sites if they feel that preserving our heritage is a low priority.
The result of these moves will not be faster permitting. Instead, they will lead to more chaos, more protests and more delay as federal agencies attempt to run roughshod over the viewpoints of local communities. Historic places that make each community unique and bring in tourism and economic development would be left unprotected.
Worse, this bill was assembled behind closed doors and is being rushed to a vote without any committee consideration.
There are plenty of ways to make the permitting faster, including common-sense ideas to make the Section 106 process more efficient. But cutting the public out of the process and letting thousands of historic properties face harm and demolition is not the way to do it.
I urge you to oppose the current Senate permitting bill without significant amendments to maintain a balance between building the infrastructure we need while protecting the heritage we cherish.
Hi Christine! Please make sure to send this your Senators as well – this only comments on the ACRA post. You can send it directly to them in the widget at the bottom of the post!