Home News Nationwide Programmatic Agreement Streamlines 106 Process for NPS

Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470f), the National Park Service (NPS) on November 14, 2008, executed a nationwide Programmatic Agreement (PA) with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) to further integrate the stewardship of historic properties into NPS policy, streamline the Section 106 process, and strengthen NPS’ partnership with state and tribal preservation programs across the country.

In 2005, the NPS began its efforts to develop this nationwide PA to replace an outdated agreement. Utilizing an interagency work group, including representatives from the NPS, the ACHP, and NCSHPO, as well as individual tribal advisors, NPS conducted extensive consultation with key stakeholders. As part of this effort, the NPS held regional “listening” sessions to solicit tribal concerns and opinions. Guided by this consultation, NPS continued to refine and improve drafts of the agreement as it responded to the comments received.

The NPS’ efforts represent a model for other federal agencies wishing to develop similar nationwide Programmatic Agreements. The NPS met its goal of creating a new agreement to meet its operational requirements while considering and incorporating the views of State Historic Preservation Officers, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and other interested stakeholders. While many NPS personnel worked hard on this effort, a special credit is due NPS Preservation Compliance Coordinator Caroline Hall who masterfully juggled competing interests and shepherded this PA through to completion. Read the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement here.

Posted November 25, 2008

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