1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

As a constituent in California, I am writing to express my strong support for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which ensures that the historical and cultural values of our state are considered while we manage public lands and build the infrastructure we need.  When the NHPA was signed into law in 1966, Congress declared that the sprit and the direction of the Nation are founded upon and reflected in its historic heritage, that its historical and cultural foundations should be preserved as a living part of our community life in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people, and that the preservation of our irreplaceable heritage is in the public interest so that its vital legacy of cultural, educational, and inspirational benefits will be maintained and enriched for future generations of Americans.  Section 106 allows federal agencies to make decisions on permitting development that are informed by the public and Native American Indian Tribes.  It does not prevent development, instead it stipulates a public consultation process to avoid or mitigate adverse effects to historic properties.  When consultation is initiated early in project design, Section 106 can help avoid delays in implementation from the unplanned discovery of cultural resources. Thousands of people across the country are employed in the cultural resources management sector to work with government agencies and private developers to ensure that such delays are avoided and to find the right balance between historic preservation and progress.  As the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources examines Section 106 this week, I would encourage you to consider these ways to make the process even more effective and efficient: - Ensuring that the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) is fully appropriated every fiscal year.  The HPF is provided from Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease revenues, not tax dollars and provides critical funding to State and Tribal historic preservation offices (SHPOs and THPOs) as well as grants to local jurisdictions for preservation priorities.  In short, the HPF is an expression of federal commitment to America’s rich heritage that has invested more than $2 billion in communities since the early 1970s.  - Investing in the ability of SHPOs and THPOS to digitize their records, which helps speed up the process of assessing project effects. - Encouraging federal agencies to begin consultation as early in a project timeline as possible, to help identify and resolve potential issues. - Providing training to federal agency personnel to ensure more consistency in its application across, and within, agencies As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary next year, honoring and preserving the places that tell our story is more important than ever. Section 106 provides the right balance between understanding our past while building for the future.