For 60 years, federal law has given Colorado’s tribal nations, local officials, and preservation experts a voice in decisions that could damage the state’s historic sites. Officials in Colorado are now pushing back on proposed changes to federal law that would strip that voice away.”
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) in July submitted proposed changes in July to regulations that govern implementation of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, passed in 1966.
If approved, the changes would effectively let federal agencies skip consulting state, local, and tribal officials on projects that could harm historic landmarks, The Colorado Sun reported.
Simpson cited two recent examples of how collaborative consultations with state officials and organizations mandated by Section 106 helped mitigate impacts of federal communication tower projects to the Santa Fe Trail in Otero County. The proposed changes would leave those preliminary consultations that led to those compromises up to federal agencies’ discretion.
Simpson reported that there are between 1,500 and 2,000 Section 106 consultations carried out each year in Colorado, all but about 2% of which are resolved without mitigation.
The changes would also reduce what is considered “historic” in ways that will exclude traditional cultural places and threaten rural historic districts, according to History Colorado, which oversees the state’s preservation programs.
A statement from the History Colorado Board of Directors in July emphasized that the National Historic Preservation Act was passed six decades ago with the understanding that “those who are closest to these sites and resources have the most knowledge” about those sites and should have a say in how they’re preserved.
“Whether you live in an urban or rural community, local decision-making and including local voices is a core Colorado value. Yet, the clearest objective of these revisions is to weaken opportunities for public input about what history we preserve and what impacts our communities,” the statement reads.
“Especially as we reflect on the important anniversaries of this year – America’s 250th and Colorado’s 150th,” the agency continues, “we cannot support any effort that devalues the voices of Colorado communities and Tribal nations, imperils the irreplaceable places that form our heritage and culture, dismisses the knowledge of Tribes and descendants, and betrays our obligations to preserve the important history of our nation.”
Following review by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the public will be given a 30-day window to comment on the changes before ACHP votes on them.
The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez is urging organizations to join an open letter to Congress opposing the changes by Friday and asking residents to contact their member of Congress.
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