Big Win: National Register Rule Withdrawn

NPS Press Release (June 7, 2021)
In response to more than 3,200 comments received from the public and valued preservation partners, the National Park Service (NPS) has announced it is withdrawing its March 2019 proposal to revise regulations governing the listing of properties in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

“After much consideration we have determined that the intention of the proposed revisions would not be beneficial to the historic preservation community and we are withdrawing the proposal,” said NPS Associate Director Joy Beasley, who serves as the Keeper of the National Register for Historic Places. “I am grateful to our active and engaged preservation partners at the federal, state, local, and Tribal levels for working with us throughout this review process.”

After reviewing public comments and listening to the concerns of state and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, federal Preservation Officers, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and other national historical and archeological associations, the regulations, which are found in Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, parts 60 and 63, will remain unchanged.

A notice regarding the withdrawal will be published in the Federal Register in the coming months. Additional information about the proposed rulemaking process can be found on NPS.gov.

NATHPO note: it was truly the advocacy of our members who made this happen, who, along with Wes Furlong at NARF, educated Office of Management and Budget staff on the tribal trust responsibility and government-to-government obligation, and stretched the timeline into the new Administration. We took a stand in the face of political will from the top, and we won! Congratulations and thank you!