Student Volunteers at SHA Québec 2014
Student volunteers are essential to the smooth operation of an SHA Conference. By assisting with…
Contact your Representatives to Maintain the NHPA
SHA’s Government Affairs counsel just learned about a possible amendment to the National Historic Preservation Act that would significantly impact the protection of land and sites, allowing federal agencies to prevent inclusion on the National Register due to concerns about “national security.” We urge all members to contact their Representatives in the House — particularly those on the House Armed Services Committee (see here) — to voice your opposition to the amendment. A sample email is provided below.
Please note that time is of the essence because the markup is scheduled for this Wednesday. Contact Terry Klein (tklein@srifoundation.org) or Eden Burgess (eden@culturalheritagepartners.com) with any questions.
Thanks for your help with this critical issue!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Representative ____:
My name is ______ and I am a constituent.
I understand that this Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee will be marking up the NDAA and that the markup may include consideration of a bill that would amend the National Historic Preservation Act to allow federal agencies to object to the listing of a site on the National Register due to “national security” concerns (HR 135).
I strongly oppose such an amendment, as it is overly broad and the amendment is poorly drafted. In addition, I am aware that last Congress, DoD’s Maureen Sullivan, Directorfor Environment, Safety, and Occupational Health at the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, testified against a similar bill (HR 3687) as unnecessary and likely to cause confusion. Ms. Sullivan also testified that DoD sees no benefit to the bill and that DoD has never been stopped from maintaining or repairing any building, or from conducting any training exercise, because of the National Historic Preservation Act’s requirements. NPS and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation also oppose the bill.
I urge you to oppose this amendment to the NDAA. Thank you.