voices

The founding promise 

“We have come here this morning to give part of our country back to its people.” 

President Lyndon B. Johnson, signing the National Historic Preservation Act, October 15, 1966 | quoted in NPR | October 15, 2026 

Heritage drives tourism 

“Tourists are drawn to these places because these are valuable resources” 

Maureen Meyers, Director of Archaeology, New South Associates, on Old Town Alexandria, Annapolis, and D.C. | The Washington Times | October 14, 2026  

One principle worth protecting

“Before a federal decision damages or destroys a historic place, the government should understand what is there, consider what may be lost, and listen to the people who know and value that place.”

Preservation Pennsylvania | Section 106 advocacy page | 2026

The right to remember

“You can disagree about politics. You can disagree about the future. But you shouldn't have to fight your own government for the right to remember your past.”

Greg Werkheiser, Founding Partner, Cultural Heritage Partners | NPR, October 15, 2026.

The work of public historians

“Every community will feel the loss of protections for the historic, archaeological, and sacred spaces that make our nation unique and beautiful.”

National Council on Public History | Call to Action: Section 106 and S. 5653 | October 30, 2026

History beyond buildings

“It is the whitewashing and bulldozing of our history and culture”

Heather Cox Richardson, historian and author | Letters from an American | July 26, 2026; essay dated July 25

The public’s stake

“The public will be completely cut out of any conversation around the future of places that matter to them in this country.”

Greg Werkheiser, Founding Partner, Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC | NPR, July 23, 2026

The national harm

“This is essentially the big triumphal arch in Washington coming home to a site anywhere near you. It would impact historic sites all over the country, large and small.”

Philip Kennicott, Washington Post Culture Critic, interviewed by PBS | PBS NewsHour / Art Canvas | July 28, 2026

Participation as a democratic principle

“Public participation is a founding principle of this democracy, and today's vote treats it as an obstacle to be removed.”

Illya Azaroff, FAIA, president, American Institute of Architects | American Institute of Architects | July 27, 2026

Undocumented sites at risk

“We won't even know that they exist before they potentially get bulldozed.”

Holly Norton, Colorado State Archaeologist and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer | KSUT / Mountain West News Bureau | August 4, 2026

Development and irreplaceable landscapes

“We have to have oil and gas development, obviously, but we don’t have to have it on America’s most amazing landscapes.”

Paul Reed, Archaeologist | The New York Times | July 31, 2026

Communities learn too late

“Communities are not going to know that major projects are happening in their backyard until the bulldozers show up.”

Marion F. Werkheiser, Founding Partner, Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC | The Washington Post | July 20, 2026

A fundamental change

“It’s not even a small tweak — it’s a complete gutting of the Section 106 process.”

Rebecca Miller, Executive Director, DC Preservation League | CNN Newsource | July 21, 2026

Every American has a stake

“Every American who has any place in their heart that is historic or culturally significant to them should be concerned about this attempt to gut historic preservation protections.”

Greg Werkheiser | NPR, July 23, 2026

No public review requirement

“It would not provide for any required public involvement during the review process.”

Congressional Research Service | Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026: Analysis of NHPA Provisions | October 30, 2026

The nationwide consequences

“It will effectively rewrite the National Historic Preservation Act in ways that, for all intents and purposes, gut its meaning and protections for hundreds of thousands of sites across the country.”

Greg Werkheiser | NPR, October 15, 2026.

A betrayal of Congress’s intent

The permitting deal “is an affront to the lawmakers who passed the National Historic Preservation Act 60 years ago and ignores its great nationwide success.”

New York Landmarks Conservancy | NY Landmarks Conservancy | October 2026

Walking away at 250

“It’s America’s 250th anniversary. It’s so ironic to me that we’re about to just walk away from so much history — and sad.”

Maureen Meyers, Director of Archaeology, New South Associates | The Washington Times | October 14, 2026

A seat that means little

“A seat at the table means little when the agency can end the meeting”

Preserve Rhode Island | “Sixty Years of Section 106: Will We Let it Be Slashed” | October 2026

The end of 106 as we know it

“[The bill] would effectively end Section 106 as we know it”

American Cultural Resources Association | ACRA action alert | October 8, 2026

Delays, not speed

“It will cause delays, not prevent them”

Missouri Preservation, Section 106 advocacy alert | Missouri Preservation | October 2026

Bulldozers keep running

“The bulldozers keep running while the agency fixes it.”

Inletkeeper, on the bill’s remand-only remedy | Inletkeeper blog | October 19, 2026

The opposite of efficiency

“In the context of historic preservation, it does exactly the opposite [of making things more efficient].” “It’s going to result in late discoveries. It’s going to anger tribes, communities, the public”

Terry Klein, Section 106 consultant and chair of the Society for Historical Archaeology | The Washington Times | October 14, 2026

A dire warning from the field

“We can’t express to you enough how dire this is”

Stacey Vairo, Preservation Connecticut, to Wilton’s Historic District & Historic Properties Commission | GOOD Morning Wilton | October 14, 2026

Power to developers

“[The bill] would gut public participation in the process, hand more power to developers”

Village Preservation, in a message to supporters | New York Almanack | October 13, 2026

Worse than the regulatory attack

“[The bill] goes even further to eviscerate preservation law.”

New York Landmarks Conservancy, comparing the bill to the ACHP rewrite | NY Landmarks Conservancy | October 2026

One chance to learn

“You have one chance to excavate a site. If a bulldozer comes in and destroys the data, then there’s nothing left to learn.”

Maureen Meyers, Director of Archaeology, New South Associates | The Washington Times | October 14, 2026

Dangerous precedents

“The EEOB plan disregards legal and institutional rules in ways that will create dangerous precedents.”

Dorothy Robyn, author | The Atlantic | August 6, 2026

A review in name only

“Let’s stop calling this a proper Section 106 process.”

Rebecca Miller, Executive Director, DC Preservation League | NPR, republished by Oregon Public Broadcasting | August 7, 2026

Disempowering experts and the public

“This is about power, and the disempowerment both of experts…and the public”

Philip Kennicott, Culture Critic | The Washington Post | July 24, 2026

A temporary tenant

“Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House”

U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Majority Opinion | Reuters | August 7, 2026 | A place saved by Section 106

On Trump’s Arch

“There has been no authentic negotiation.”

Charles Birnbaum, President and CEO, The Cultural Landscape Foundation | The Washington Post | September 24, 2026

Checking a box

“It feels like more of a box-checking than an actual, legitimate process.”

Ed Stierli, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Parks Conservation Association | NPR, republished by Oregon Public Broadcasting | August 7, 2026

A memorial belongs to the people

“The Kennedy Center was created by Congress as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. And it belongs not to any individual, certainly not to any individual president. It belongs to the American people.”

Greg Werkheiser | CNN, August 27, 2026. Transcripts

Saved by 106

“Were it not for Section 106, our ancient capital of Rassawek would be gone”

Chief Diane Shields, Monacan Indian Nation | The Washington Post | August 27, 2026

Central to the federal trust relationship with Tribal Nations

“Section 106 has never been exclusively about preserving historic buildings or archaeological sites. For Native Nations, it is one of the few laws that operationalizes the federal trust responsibility by requiring meaningful government-to-government consultation before federal actions may irreversibly affect sacred places, traditional cultural properties, and other places of religious and cultural significance.”

Association on American Indian Affairs statement | Native News Online | July 31, 2026

A false choice

“Tribal Nations should not have to choose between infrastructure development and the protection of their cultural heritage.”

National Congress of American Indians, calling on Congress to withdraw Title III | NCAI | October 2026

Nothing modern about it

“Not an improvement, and there is certainly nothing modern about it.”

National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, opposing the Senate’s newly introduced permitting bill | NATHPO news release | September 30, 2026

Tribes see through it

“Tribes see through this. They know it’s a farce.”

Ira Matt, Executive Director, NATHPO, on Sen. Heinrich’s approach | Punchbowl News | October 13, 2026

Learning too late

“Tribal Nations should not have to discover that a sacred place is threatened only after the federal government has approved its destruction.”

Kurt Dongoske, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Pueblo of Zuni | 106 Strong / CHP press release | September 30, 2026

Devastating to Tribal voices

“so devastating to tribal voices and tribal places.”

Valerie Grussing, NATHPO, on bipartisan support for the bill | NPR | October 15, 2026

Sovereignty weakened

“BAAJA severely weakens Tribal opportunities to engage as sovereign governments”

Native American Rights Fund | NARF action alert | October 15, 2026

Speaking for Tribes

“If we’re not presenting our culture through the Western structure… they can come in and… speak for us”

Ira Matt, Executive Director, National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, on the bill’s THPO takeover provisions | The Washington Times | October 14, 2026

Notification replaces collaboration

“Taken together, these provisions would move Section 106 away from an informed and collaborative planning process and toward an agency-directed review, followed by notification to interested parties.”

Lakota Hobia, chair, NATHPO; quoted in Eva Marie Carney’s column | Citizen Potawatomi Nation website | September 22, 2026

Tribal sovereignty

“The ACHP’s proposed regulations are an affront to Tribal sovereignty”

Ira Matt, Executive Director, Indigenous Diplomacy and Federal Relations, National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers | KSUT / Mountain West News Bureau | August 4, 2026

The legacy of a protected landscape

“The question before us is simple: What kind of legacy will we leave?”

Phillip Quintana, Governor, Cochiti Pueblo | High Country News | July 24, 2026; updated July 27

Sovereignty and treaty obligations

“For Tribal Nations, the Section 106 process is inseparable from their inherent sovereignty”

Joint statement by NCAI, AAIA, NATHPO and USET Sovereignty Protection Fund | August 18, 2026

The danger of dispossession

“[The bill is] a regressive action that ignores the progress made in the Tribal-U.S. relationship during the self-determination era”

NATHPO, reporting a joint Tribal organizational statement on BAAJA | October 14, 2026

ALASKA

A voice before decisions are made

“Protecting Tribal sovereignty means ensuring Tribal governments have a meaningful voice before decisions are made, not simply an opportunity to respond after decisions are already moving forward.”

Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska | Alaska Tribes and Native Corporations Take Stand to Protect Tribal Sovereignty, Sacred Places, Lands and Waters | October 26, 2026.

Development and sovereignty

“Federal permitting reform and economic development must respect Tribal Nations as sovereign governments and uphold existing federal responsibilities.”

Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska | Same statement | October 26, 2026.

ARKANSAS

Protecting places early

“Through the Section 106 Review process, the AHPP can work with the federal agencies to protect cultural resources by bringing historic properties into consideration during the early stages of project planning”

Arkansas Historic Preservation Program | Section 106 / Review & Compliance Program | Undated.

COLORADO

Preservation transcends political divisions

“Preservation always has been both urban and rural, both Democratic and Republican.”

Dawn DiPrince, President and CEO, History Colorado | The Colorado Sun, August 18, 2026.

Undocumented sites at risk

“We won't even know that they exist before they potentially get bulldozed.”

Holly Norton, Colorado State Archaeologist and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer | KSUT / Mountain West News Bureau | August 4, 2026

CONNECTICUT

A local voice in federal decisions

“We consider it an honor to provide a local voice to federal projects, and we hope these aspects of the regulations will be upheld.”

Jonathan Kinney, State Historic Preservation Officer, Connecticut | Proposed Changes to Section 106 Regulations | 2026.

DELWARE

Public participation at risk

“The proposed revisions will significantly alter what types of projects and properties are considered under the regulatory review process, and will diminish or omit the opportunity for state, tribal, public and community feedback.”

Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs | Proposed Changes to Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act | August 24, 2026.

GEORGIA

Georgians deserve a voice

“The proposed Senate bill would dramatically curtail that input, negatively impacting Georgians ability to speak up for the sites that represent our history.”

Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation | Preservation Advocacy / Our Position | 2026.

HAWAII

Communities deserve to be heard

“HHF staff and others from Hawai‘i have met with the congressional offices of all four of Hawai‘i Senators and Representatives to ask them to help ensure that the voices of our communities are not silenced as we work to save places that matter.”

Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation | National Coalition Forms Campaign for Section 106 | 2026.

ILLINOIS

Section 106 is not a roadblock

“Section 106 is not a roadblock to development and infrastructure projects.”

Landmarks Illinois | Landmarks Illinois Calls on Congress to Reject Destruction of Section 106 | October 14, 2026.

LOUISIANA

Section 106 works

“Section 106 works.”

Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans | Protect and Strengthen Section 106 | September 1, 2026 | https://prcno.org/protect-and-strengthen-section-106/

MAINE

A critical preservation tool at risk

“The changes would gut this critical tool, and preservation organizations nationwide are pushing back.”

Greater Portland Landmarks | Section 106: Call to Action | 2026.

MARYLAND

We can have history and growth

“We can build more & faster and still save history.”

Preservation Maryland | Your Voice Matters: Stand up for Preservation, October 16, 2026.

MASSACHUSETTES

Protecting irreplaceable resources

“the federal review process that protects against wanton destruction of our historic and cultural resources is likely to be dramatically reduced.”

Boston Preservation Alliance | Section 106 Under Threat | July 22, 2026.

MICHIGAN

Communities losing their voice

“Consultation with the State becomes discretionary, substantially weakening the State’s voice in this process.”

Michigan State Historic Preservation Office | 2026 Federal Policy Change Report, p. 43 | October 2026.

MISSOURI

Delays, not speed

“It will cause delays, not prevent them”

Missouri Preservation, Section 106 advocacy alert | Missouri Preservation | October 2026

MONTANA

A voice in federal decisions

“Congress established the NHPA on the Federalist principle that states, Tribal Nations, local governments, and the public should have a say in federal actions.”

Montana State Historic Preservation Office | Comment on Proposed Changes to Section 106 | September 9, 2026.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Our history is tied to our future

“In New Hampshire, our past and future are tied to wonderful, varied historic resources all over the state.”

New Hampshire Preservation Alliance | Significant National Policy Under Threat | 2026.

NEW JERSEY

Better projects through collaboration

“It does not prevent development or infrastructure projects from moving forward; it ensures that informed decisions are made through collaboration”

Preservation New Jersey | Preservation New Jersey Joins National Preservation Partners in Opposing Proposed Changes to Section 106, July 23, 2026.

NEW MEXICO

A call to withdraw the legislation

“Kill the bill!”

Chant by protesters outside Senator Heinrich's Albuquerque office | Source New Mexico | October 27, 2026.

An energy transition that sacrifices Indigenous lands

“There's nothing clean about an energy transition that continues to sacrifice our Indigenous land, our Indigenous communities, our public land, while benefiting Silicon Valley and extractive industries.”

Marissa Naranjo, Executive Director, Sovereign Energy | Albuquerque Journal | October 27, 2026.

Protecting Pueblo sacred places

“weaken protections for Pueblo sacred places.”

All Pueblo Council of Governors, resolution opposing BAAJA, reported by Source New Mexico | October 27, 2026.

Respect for sovereign nations

“We can disagree, you can make other decisions, but to disrespect sovereign nations is the big error.”

Ahtza Chavez, Executive Director, Naeva, speaking about Heinrich's engagement with Tribal leaders | Albuquerque Journal | October 27, 2026.

The legacy of a protected landscape

“The question before us is simple: What kind of legacy will we leave?”

Phillip Quintana, Governor, Cochiti Pueblo | High Country News | July 24, 2026; updated July 27

NEW YORK

A betrayal of Congress’s intent

The permitting deal “is an affront to the lawmakers who passed the National Historic Preservation Act 60 years ago and ignores its great nationwide success.”

New York Landmarks Conservancy | NY Landmarks Conservancy | October 2026

Power to developers

“[The bill] would gut public participation in the process, hand more power to developers”

Village Preservation, in a message to supporters | New York Almanack | October 13, 2026

Worse than the regulatory attack

“[The bill] goes even further to eviscerate preservation law.”

New York Landmarks Conservancy, comparing the bill to the ACHP rewrite | NY Landmarks Conservancy | October 2026

OREGON

Communities shut out of decisions

“The proposed changes empower federal agencies to make decisions about the valuate of historic places with little input from State agencies, Tribes, and Oregon’s communities and organizations.”

Oregon Heritage, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department | Heritage Engagement Tools: Proposed Rulemaking for Section 106 | 2026.

PENNSYLVANIA

One principle worth protecting

“Before a federal decision damages or destroys a historic place, the government should understand what is there, consider what may be lost, and listen to the people who know and value that place.”

Preservation Pennsylvania | Section 106 advocacy page | 2026

RHODE ISLAND

A seat that means little

“A seat at the table means little when the agency can end the meeting”

Preserve Rhode Island | “Sixty Years of Section 106: Will We Let it Be Slashed” | October 2026

The right of communities to be heard

“A bill now moving in the Senate, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (S. 5653), would effectively kill Section 106”

Preserve Rhode Island | Sixty Years of Section 106: Will We Let It Be Slashed? | October 2026.

TEXAS

Why Congress acted

“an estimated 25 percent of the nation’s finest historic sites were lost.”

Texas Historical Commission | National Historic Preservation Act | Undated.

UTAH

From collaboration to unilateral control

“The proposed rule shifts authority away from collaborative consultation toward unilateral control by federal agencies.”

Preservation Utah | Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act Under Threat | 2026.

VERMONT

Sixty years of community collaboration

“Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act has served as a powerful tool for community collaboration”

Vermont State Historic Preservation Office, statement provided to Vermont Public | August 26, 2026.

VIRGINIA

A bad deal for preservation

“It’s a bad deal for preservation and for our critically important heritage tourism economy.”

Preservation Virginia | Federal Advocacy Statement | 2026.

Saved by 106

“Were it not for Section 106, our ancient capital of Rassawek would be gone”

Chief Diane Shields, Monacan Indian Nation | The Washington Post | August 27, 2026

Virginia's voices will be lost

“Section 106 is one of the only tools communities have to weigh-in on federally funded projects.”

Preservation Virginia | Virginia General Assembly and Federal Advocacy | 2026.

WASHINGTON, DC

Not a tweak

“It’s not even a small tweak — it’s a complete gutting of the Section 106 process.”

Rebecca Miller, Executive Director, DC Preservation League | CNN Newsource | July 21, 2026

WISCONSIN

A responsibility to listen

“Section 106 has addressed the federal government’s responsibility to gather input from those outside of federal agencies to help ensure the preservation of our nation’s history.”

Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation | Statement to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation | August 2026.