10/16/2026
Help us protect our shared history!
October 15th marks 60 years since the National Historic Preservation Act became law, and we need to make this anniversary count. Congress passed the act in 1966 because highways and urban renewal were wiping out historic places and entire neighborhoods, often with little opportunity for the people who lived there to intervene. It remains the backbone of preservation in America.
Section 2301 of the proposed “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act” would cut directly into that foundation: projects whose federal involvement include grants, loans, or other financial assistance would be excluded from Section 106 review. Federal officials could also satisfy their review obligations by deciding, in the “sole discretion of the Federal official". That gives agencies an express route to finish review without an agreement on how damage will be avoided, minimized, or mitigated.
The bill also ties State and Tribal preservation programs’ compliance to meeting consultation deadlines, with funding suspensions and eventual federal takeover of their functions if deficiencies remain unresolved. These provisions would reduce both the projects we can weigh in on and the influence of the preservation offices we depend on. Cultural Heritage Partners, a steadfast protector of Tribal sovereignty and threatened communities over the last decades notes that, “Communities deserve a seat at the table before—not after—the bulldozers arrive.”
Keep in mind, this is a second front in addition to the proposed changes by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. We only have until Congress returns from their recess, with the U.S. Senate voting on the bill on November 9th. Preservation Virginia has signed on with 1,000 other organizations across the United States to join the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Cultural Heritage Partners, and Preservation Action on a coordinated fightback of the proposed gutting of Section 106.
Please reach out to Senators Kaine and Warner as well as your Congressional Representative, and ask them to vote no on the Bipartisan Jobs and Affordability Act to maintain Section 106 in its current form. Contact information can be found on our website at preservationvirginia.org/our-work/advocacy/virginia-general-assembly-and-federal-advocacy/.
As a Preservation Virginia supporter–whether you’ve visited one of our six museums, attended an event, or participated in a preservation program–you understand how important it is to be a voice for our past.
Together, we can show Congress that Virginians are up to the task of safeguarding our historic places. Please consider renewing your support of Preservation Virginia at this critical time so we can continue fighting this battle. Visit our website to learn about ways you can provide support at preservationvirginia.org/support/.
The included image is of the Surry-Skiffes Creek transmission line across the James River in view of Jamestown Island was subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Preservation Virginia included the James River viewshed on the 2014 list of Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Places.
