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As part of Preservation Month, the Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus will hold a briefing on May 9.

Preservation Action will host the annual briefing, which has been on hiatus since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s briefing will feature a panel of national historic preservation policy experts and will include discussions about improving and enhancing the Historic Tax Credit through the recently re-introduced Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 1785, S. 639) and ongoing efforts to reauthorize the HPF, which is set to expire in in September 2023.

Stay tuned for additional information on speakers, opportunities to invite congressional staff contacts, and more about this exciting event.

On March 6, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced the Save Oak Flat From Foreign Mining Act (H.R. 1351).

Oak Flat is sacred to several tribal nations in Arizona, including the San Carlos Apache Tribe, whose citizens have visited the area to conduct cultural ceremonies and gather traditional medicines and food for millennia.

For over a decade, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has opposed the development of the large-scale mine proposed for this area that would risk destroying many existing and unidentified prehistoric and historic cultural artifacts.

It was listed on the 2015 America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list.

Permitting reform continues to move forward this Congress. On March 9, the House Natural Resources Committee approved a Republican-led permitting reform and energy bill.

The Transparency, Accountability, Permitting and Production of American Resources Act (TAPP) (H.R. 1335) cleared the committee along party lines.

The bill would undermine the core principles of the National Environmental Protection Act and would eliminate vital protections for historic and cultural resources if the proposed changes were enacted.

For example, many oil and gas drilling projects would be completely exempted from compliance with NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act, and other provisions would accelerate timetables for federal review and overwhelm an already underfunded and understaffed workforce.

On March 14, the TAPP Act was included in a larger House Republican energy package, the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1), along with other bills advanced by the Energy and Commerce and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.

Final deliberations and House floor consideration are expected this week. While the package is expected to pass the House, it is unlikely to move forward in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Despite opposition to this particular legislative package, there remains bipartisan interest in the Senate to tackle permitting reform during this Congress and bicameral talks continue.

The National Trust led a coalition letter with other national preservation partners opposing H.R. 1 and will continue to advocate for the laws and processes that are necessary to safeguard our nation’s historic and cultural resources.

The National Trust recently submitted written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies on behalf of increased funding for preservation programs and will do the same for the corresponding Senate subcommittee. The National Trust also released its fifth annual “Preservation Budget: Select Preservation Priorities for FY 2024 Appropriations” to supplement our appropriations testimony.

The National Trust’s report and testimony detail our funding recommendations for numerous federal programs that support historic preservation. The information is designed to assist federal policymakers and their staff in supporting funding to protect our nation’s historical legacy. It’s an excellent advocacy tool for you to use as you discuss the many ways the federal government supports historic preservation and the ongoing need for continued investment.

This appropriation cycle is complicated by the broader spending disagreements playing out in Congress as the country confronts a potential default in the coming months when the nation reaches its debt limit. The National Trust will continue to advocate for higher funding for the HPF and other preservation programs as the appropriations process continues.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to release “The Preservation Budget: Select Preservation Priorities for FY 2024 Appropriations.” This report is designed to assist congressional staff and our preservation partners in appreciating—and advocating for—key federal programs that protect our nation’s legacy of historic resources and benefit all Americans.