106 Strong, representing 9 million Americans, releases film, urges Congress to reject threats to historic places, Tribal sovereignty, and public participation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sixty years to the day after Congress enacted the National Historic Preservation Act (“NHPA”) to stop the destruction of America’s historic places, a new coalition of 1,000 organizations and Tribal Nations representing more than nine million Americans formally launched 106 Strong, a campaign to defend and strengthen the law’s cornerstone protection, known as Section 106.

For six decades, Section 106 has required federal agencies to consider the effects of their decisions on historic places and consult with Tribal Nations, states, local governments, and communities before causing harm.

The coalition’s rise comes as Congress considers dismantling the nation’s historic preservation safeguards through S. 5653, the permitting reform bill, and as the Trump administration separately pursues regulatory changes that would undermine Section 106.

The campaign unveiled its new website, 106Strong.com, released a short film celebrating the law’s achievements and warning of the threats it faces, and delivered a new letter to Congress urging lawmakers to reject the Senate legislation.

“In nearly three decades of working in historic preservation and Tribal affairs, I have rarely witnessed a movement of this scale mobilize so quickly to defend our shared heritage,” said Ira Matt (Séliš), Executive Director, National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. “The proposed changes are an affront to Tribal sovereignty and would erode decades of progress in recognizing Tribal rights. But the consequences extend far beyond Indian Country. By undermining consultation and public participation, the federal government is sending a clear message to all Americans: your history, your communities, and your voices no longer matter.”

A National Movement Reaches 1,000 Organizations

The 106 Strong coalition includes Tribal Nations, historic preservation organizations, architecture firms, archaeological associations, history organizations, museums, local governments, civil rights advocacy organizations, and community organizations from all fifty states. Its 1,000 participating entities collectively represent an estimated nine million Americans, with participation continuing to grow.

The coalition is urging Americans across the country to ask their Senators and Representatives to vote no on S. 5653, organizing citizen outreach in communities nationwide, preparing to challenge unlawful actions in court, and planning a national day of protest around the expected November 9th Senate vote. Its first goal is to defeat the bill in the Senate. If that fails, the fight moves to the House.

A New Warning to Congress

In a letter to Congress released today, 106 Strong calls for the defeat of S. 5653, warning that its historic preservation provisions would remove the public’s voice from Section 106 review, attack Tribal sovereignty, and allow the federal government to decide unilaterally that “other considerations” outweigh historic preservation. If this bill passes, Section 106 will cease to be a tool for historic preservation and neighbors will discover the federal government’s plans to harm historic places when the bulldozers arrive. 

The coalition argues that the legislation would also undermine its sponsors’ stated purpose of accelerating infrastructure development by replacing early consultation and proven conflict resolution tools with uncertainty, controversy, and litigation.

Nine leading national and regional Tribal organizations collectively representing hundreds of Tribal Nations have separately condemned the legislation, warning that it threatens sacred places, Tribal sovereignty, and the federal government’s trust obligations.

 “It’s one thing to attack historic places in Washington, DC, that belong to all Americans,” said Greg Werkheiser, co-founder of the law firm Cultural Heritage Partners and an organizer of 106 Strong. “It’s quite another to pave the way to the destruction of tens of thousands of historic places in communities across the country. I’m not sure the developer lobbyists behind this bill fully appreciate the bear they’ve awoken. People will fight like hell for the places that tell the stories of their families and communities.”

A New Film Marks 60 Years of Preservation

The campaign also premiered a new 5-minute film commemorating the NHPA’s 60th anniversary, celebrating the places and stories preserved through Section 106, and explaining what Americans stand to lose if its protections are dismantled.

The film recalls the national crisis that prompted Congress to act in 1966. At the time, approximately half of the 12,000 historic places documented by the federal government’s Historic American Buildings Survey since 1933 had already been destroyed or ruined. The landmark report With Heritage So Rich described the surviving documentation as a “death mask of America.”

The Fight Ahead

The coalition’s immediate priority is defeating S. 5653, followed by continued opposition to the administration’s proposed regulatory evisceration of Section 106. Its longer-term mission is to strengthen the law, improve federal planning and consultation, and ensure that future generations inherit the historic and cultural places that define America’s communities.

“Section 106 asks our government to do something profoundly reasonable: stop, look, and listen before destroying places Americans value,” Werkheiser said. “For sixty years, that simple principle has helped preserve our shared history while also enabling responsible development. We intend to make sure it survives for the next sixty.”

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Media Contact
Greg Werkheiser
Cultural Heritage Partners / 106 Strong
greg@culturalheritagepartners.com | (703) 408-2002

About 106 Strong: 106 Strong is a national coalition of organizations, Tribal Nations, and advocates working to defend and strengthen Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Its participants represent more than nine million Americans united in protecting historic places, Tribal sovereignty, and meaningful public participation in federal decision-making.