In December, then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt issued Secretarial Order 3389, Coordinating and Clarifying National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Reviews. ACRA raised a number of concerns about the impact of Order 3389 on the Section 106 process in a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, including how it discouraged alternative mitigation measures as a tool to balance preservation and development needs.
Today the Department of the Interior announced that Secretary Haaland has rescinded the Order alongside a number of others that “issued in recent years that are inconsistent with the Department’s commitment to protect public health; conserve land, water, and wildlife; and elevate science.” Today’s order aims to “restore transparency and integrity in the Department’s decision-making processes” surrounding public land and water management.
You can read the full press release here, and see ACRA’s letter to Secretary Haaland here.