Cultural Resources Financial Assistance Program Alternative
The National Park Service Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science financial assistance programs are proposing a Nationwide Programmatic Agreement (Nationwide PA) to establish a consistent process to meet their responsibilities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 306108). The Nationwide PA will include activities that are considered undertakings under Section 106 within its grant programs, National Heritage Areas, and other types of financial assistance activities.
A Nationwide PA can address many of the challenges the NPS cultural resources financial assistance programs currently experience in applying the Section 106 process to its undertakings. Specifically, the Section 106 regulations in 36 CFR 800.14(b) identifies that a programmatic agreement may be used: “When effects on historic properties are similar and repetitive or are multi-State or regional in scope” and “When nonfederal parties are delegated major decision-making responsibilities.”
NPS has identified that a Nationwide PA can best meet its needs, while providing significant benefits to its key partners in carrying out the national historic preservation program. The Nationwide PA would provide benefits to recipients of NPS CRPS financial assistance in creating a consistent process across a variety of programs. Lastly, the proposed Nationwide PA would provide the NPS flexibility to update the programs or activities as new financial assistance programs are authorized by Congress.
Visit the National Park Service's Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) site to learn more about the proposed Nationwide PA and to submit comments. A username and password are not required to comment. Please e-mail us with questions about the consultation process, requests for consulting party status, or to submit comments.
PEPC Project Page
Development of a Nationwide Programmatic Agreement for Cultural Resources Financial Assistance
The National Park Service Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science (CRPS) Directorate provides Federal financial assistance through a number of programs that support the national historic preservation program, heritage partnership programs and community-led conservation, the preservation of America’s historic places, and the repatriation and disposition of certain Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony; these programs include:
Grants (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
National Heritage Areas (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Last updated: June 7, 2023