The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is a law established on October 15, 1966. NHPA is considered one of the U.S.’s most extensive preservation legislations in place.
This law was enacted in the public’s interest to preserve historic sites from being lost or altered. Procedural protections encourage the identification and protection of historic and archeological resources at the federal, state, and local levels.
What are the roles and responsibilities of NHPA?
NHPA establishes an ethical framework at all levels of federal government and within agencies. The law sets a standard of accountability for agencies to consider the environmental impact of their actions on historic sites.
There are several tools, resources, and responsibilities that the NHPA carries out to ensure that agencies do their due diligence before moving forward with potential projects. This includes:
- The identification of federally protected historical sites, buildings, structures, objects, etc. under the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
- A review and requirement process under Sections 106 and 110, which work to ensure agencies consider the effects of assisted, regulated, or funded activities on historic properties and the programs they plan to set in place for the protections of said properties.
- Advising agencies regarding their national historic preservation programs, and the importance of compliance with Section 106.
How NHPA impacts your agency and projects
NHPA has been a significant resource in gaining and maintaining substantial archeological knowledge due to preservation initiatives. Due to the implementation of Section 106 and the expansion of archeological resources needed to meet the requirements of Section 106, invaluable data has been collected relevant to public interest.
Ultimately, actions stemming from NHPA have been proven to be beneficial across all levels of economic, social, and cultural growth. Federal consideration of historical preservation displays the importance of environmental integrity in the development of cities and landscapes across the country.
FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS) provides an extensive team of in-house experts that are knowledgeable across all capacities of environmental and cultural consulting. We help agencies navigate the intricacies of NEPA documentation processes under Section 106 and work to bring our clients to compliance in a cost-effective and timely manner.
