1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

Block any legislation or regulatory changes that gut Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The Senate is set to consider a bipartisan permitting reform bill when it returns from recess on November 9, and that bill would strip public comment rights, remove the requirement to consult with Native American tribes, and narrow the scope of historic review across more than 100,000 protected sites nationwide. Section 106 is not a bureaucratic obstacle. The nationwide average for a review is 16 days, and 98% of reviews conclude with no adverse effect on the project. What the process does is give communities, tribes, and experts a seat at the table before federal projects cause irreversible damage. Cutting that consultation doesn't create efficiency. Greg Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners, who leads the 1,000-organization Section 106 Strong coalition, points out that skipping expert input upfront creates a far greater chance of litigation later. Tribal Historic Preservation Officers have warned that these changes would set protections back further than pre-1966. That is not reform. The federal government should not be able to bulldoze a community's history without so much as asking. Vote no on any bill that weakens Section 106, and oppose the Advisory Council's proposed regulatory rollback as well.