Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act is at risk. Proposed changes to the Section 106 regulations would make consultation with local commissions, Certified Local Governments, and the public optional in many circumstances. This could allow federally funded or federally permitted projects to move forward without meaningful input from the communities most familiar with and invested in the historic places they may affect.
The proposed changes are not yet final, and there is still time to make your voice heard. NAPC’s Section 106 Resource Center provides local commissions and preservation advocates with information about the proposed changes, guidance on how to engage in the process, and resources to help protect meaningful local participation in Section 106. Learn what’s happening, understand what’s at stake, and find out what you can do to protect local voices in the Section 106 process.
On July 24, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) voted to move forward with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise the regulations implementing Section 106. The draft NPRM has now been sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for interagency review. The proposed revisions are not yet final; the NPRM must be reviewed and published in the Federal Register before the formal public rulemaking process begins.
There are several ways you can help protect meaningful local participation in the Section 106 process.
Contact Your Elected Officials
Make your concerns known to your elected officials, including mayors, city council members, county officials, and members of Congress. Local leaders can use their voices to emphasize the importance of meaningful community participation in decisions affecting historic resources. Our Local Elected Officials Letter Template HERE can help you explain why Section 106 matters to your community and encourage your elected officials to support meaningful local participation.
Share a Section 106 Success Story
NAPC is collecting and sharing examples of Section 106 working well in communities across the country. Has Section 106 helped your community protect a historic resource, improve a project, resolve a potential conflict, or bring local knowledge to the table? Share your story HERE. Consider including specific examples in your outreach to elected officials. These stories demonstrate the value of meaningful consultation and show how Section 106 can bring communities, agencies, and other stakeholders together to achieve better outcomes.
Prepare to Submit Public Comment
If and when a formal public comment period opens, your voice will be important.
Request a Meeting with OIRA
Cities and other interested parties can also request a meeting with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to share their concerns about the proposed changes.
NAPC is working closely with national preservation partners to monitor developments, coordinate advocacy efforts, and protect meaningful local participation in the Section 106 process. Learn more and access additional resources from our partners:
Often, local historic preservation programs must defend their value and relevance – even continued existence – in the communities they serve. NAPC’s Advocacy Program helps local preservation programs by proactively advocating for changes that our community identifies as important. We also provide information and strategies to empower local programs to advocate for themselves.
The Advocacy Program is guided by a set of principles and values that the organization uses as the framework for all of its programs (NAPC’s Values and Principles Statement). NAPC also believes the hallmarks of effective advocacy require an understanding of how the current policies and practices work at all levels of government, as well as the implications of proposed changes. We will work with our partners in preservation to advocate as a group and emphasize the effects on and needs of local preservation programs.
There’s a role for you in these efforts! Please start conversations on matters that concern you, through NAPC-L or more direct communication with the Executive Director (director@napcommissions.org). Contribute your experience, successful or not, when a topic is discussed on NAPC-L as we explore what is working and what could be more effective. NAPC’s Advocacy Committee is listening and learning from YOU as we advocate for extending the range of effective practices in our field.
NAPC will be in Washington, DC March 3-6, 2025 for National Advocacy Week. With our national partners, NAPC will be advocating for federal policies and programs that impact local preservation programs.
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In October 2024, NAPC responded to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's proposed Program Comment on Accessible, Climate-Resilient, Connected Communities. We appreciate the initiative that our national partner has taken to evaluate policies and practices in the areas of housing, clean energy, energy efficiency, and climate-friendly transportation. However, we are concerned that the Program Comment, in its draft form, is far-reaching and will exempt an unknown volume of undertakings from the Section 106 process altogether.
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In May 2023, NAPC provided comments to our national partner the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's Policy Statement on Climate Change and Historic Preservation. Learn more about NAPC's recommendations and how local preservation programs can play a role in mitigating climate change.
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In the early 1980s there were thousands of commissions who were dealing with development pressures in historic areas, and new amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act in 1980 created the Certified Local Government program to help commissions receive federal financial assistance to advanced local preservation efforts.
What was clearly absent was a forum for the discussion of mutual problems and a national voice representing the particular needs of commissions. The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions was founded in 1983 to meet these goals.
Commission interests were soon represented at countless meetings of the National Park Service (NPS), the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO), as well as on Capitol Hill at budget and other Congressional hearings and meetings about the national preservation programs. NAPC also had an active role in various lawsuits and legislation regarding preservation issues.
Today NAPC remains a strong advocate for local historic preservation commissions, relying on its established relationships with our national partners to help local preservation programs succeed and thrive. When applicable, NAPC can also provide letters of support for our member commissions when faced with challenging issues.
Since our inception in 1983, the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions has developed great partnerships with national preservation organizations to help fulfill our mission. We join our partners to support legislation and policies that benefit historic preservation at the local, state, and federal levels.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is an independent federal agency that promotes the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our nation’s historic resources, and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy.
The National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) is the professional organization of state government officials who carry out the national historic preservation program as delegates of the Secretary of Interior pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded nonprofit organization founded in 1949 to protect and promote historic places, including a collection of 27 sites. The National Trust frequently turns to grassroots supporters to help effect change at the local, state, and federal level. This includes advocating for preservation funding, saving historic places, and influencing key legislation.
The National Park Service is a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior and oversees numerous preservation-related programs, including the National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Landmarks Program, Certified Local Government Program, and Federal Preservation Grants Program. The newly-designed Technical Preservation Services website features the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, Preservation Briefs, information on Tax Incentives, and more!
Preservation Action is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization created in 1974 to serve as the national grassroots lobby for historic preservation. Preservation Action seeks to make historic preservation a national priority by advocating to all branches of the federal government for sound preservation policy and programs through a grassroots constituency empowered with information and training and through direct contact with elected representatives.
As a member of the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, you become part of a national network of historic preservation commissions, boards of architectural review, staff, local and state preservation nonprofits, and residents of historic districts who value their historic resources.
Learn MoreNAPC is honored to serve as a national voice for local preservation. This would not be possible without support from members and partners around the country. Learn more about how you can further our mission to build strong local preservation programs and leaders through education, training and advocacy.
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