Trump-Backed Federal Council Aims to Reduce Protections of Historic Sites
The federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), whose membership largely includes Trump appointees or leaders of Trump-controlled agencies, circulated an internal draft proposal on Friday to weaken regulations that require public and state input before construction affecting historic sites. The draft would change the long-standing Section 106 review process—triggered by projects on federal land, using federal funding, or requiring federal approvals—by making public comment optional rather than mandatory, and it would also narrow what qualifies as historic property eligible for protection. Critics including Cultural Landscape Foundation CEO Charles A. Birnbaum and Cultural Heritage Partners attorney Marion F. Werkheiser warned the changes could reduce transparency, limit community notice until construction begins, and potentially strip protections from land sacred to Indigenous tribes. The ACHP argues the revisions would create a more flexible process and reduce red tape, and the Washington Post reported that vice chairman Travis Voyles asked members to vote on the draft amendments by Friday. Werkheiser’s firm is also involved in litigation over Trump administration plans affecting the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
From This Briefing
This story was covered in Culture Wars and AI’s Art Power Play