As Congress rushes to pass spending bills for the new fiscal year, one item up in the air is the Historic Preservation Fund.
The Fund is critical for providing financial support to State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (S/THPOs), as well as for other preservation programs. Earlier this year, the House approved a funding bill for the Department of the Interior that would provide $170.8 million for the Fund in the new fiscal year, slightly below the amount Congress approved last year. The Senate Appropriations Committee proposed $191 million for the Fund, although they have yet to move forward on the bill.
ACRA and its partners are pressing Congress to approve the higher Senate amount in order to address the increase in projects requiring Sec. 106 consultations as a result of the 2021 infrastructure law, and to account for the increase in the number of THPOs. Without increased funding, infrastructure projects may be delayed, which in turn could increase calls to carve out exemptions to Sec. 106 or repeal it entirely.
Congress needs to hear from the preservation community about the importance of the Fund. ACRA asks you to consider sending a message to your House and Senate representatives this week in support of the higher amount. A sample text is below. (Don’t know who your representatives are? Click here for the House and here for the Senate)
SAMPLE TEXT
Dear Senator/Congressman ____:
As a cultural resource management professional in your [state/district], I urge you to support funding for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF).
Since its establishment in the 1970s, the HPF has supported the rescue and rehabilitation of historic sites, revitalized communities, and created opportunities for economic growth. The Fund helps the National Park Service administer heritage programs such as the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic Tax Credit Program. It also partially supports State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (S/THPOs), which play a key role in overseeing federally required preservation reviews of infrastructure projects.
Over the last four decades, the HPF has made possible the survey of millions of acres and identification of numerous cultural resources, resulting in over 95,000 listings on the National Register, provided millions of dollars for the rehabilitation of historic buildings, and leveraged more than $162 billion in private investment through the Historic Tax Credit. Not a single dollar of HPF funding comes from federal taxpayers; funding for the HPF comes from offshore oil leases.
The need for full funding of the HPF has become more critical in recent years as SHPO responsibilities have increased, new THPOs are established, and competitive grant programs are created and expanded. With the passage of the infrastructure bill in 2021, SHPOs and THPOs are being asked to handle more and more preservation reviews; without adequate funding, infrastructure projects could be delayed.
Recognizing the importance of the HPF to our communities, the Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed providing $191 million for the Fund in the new fiscal year. I urge you to support this funding level, which will help ensure we can continue building for the future while protecting our past.