What You Need to Know About Section 106: A reading list to help you understand what’s changing, and what’s at stake.

August 14, 2026
Since its inception, Section 106 has given state and local governments, Tribal Nations, and the public a voice in protecting historic and cultural sites affected by federal projects.
The proposed revisions could have a devastating impact by weakening these protections and limiting opportunities for public input.
Want to learn more about Section 106 and what’s at stake? Explore these resources:
National Parks Conservation Association | A Little Known, But Powerful Law
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation | Section 106 Success Stories
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation | Citizen’s Guide to Section 106
Cultural Heritage Partners | Defending Section 106 and America’s Heritage Laws
National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers | ACHP Advances Sweeping Revisions to the Section 106 Regulations
National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers | Section 106 Rulemaking: What’s Next?
Your Section 106 To-Do List:
📨 Share our Advocacy Newsletter with your network
📝 Have a list of the places that matter to you and your community ready
🚨Watch for AIA Advocacy Alerts
✍️ Be ready to write letters
📞Call your elected officials using this script

Facts Only

* Section 106 has provided a voice to state and local governments, Tribal Nations, and the public regarding historic and cultural sites affected by federal projects.
* Proposed revisions to Section 106 could impact protections and public input opportunities.
* Resources are provided for learning about Section 106 and related advocacy efforts.
* Advocacy tools include sharing newsletters, preparing community lists, watching for alerts, writing letters, and calling elected officials.

Executive Summary

Section 106 grants state and local governments, Tribal Nations, and the public a voice in protecting historic and cultural sites impacted by federal projects since its inception. Proposed revisions to Section 106 are presented as having the potential to weaken these protections and limit opportunities for public input. The provided resources offer avenues for learning more about Section 106, including information from the National Parks Conservation Association, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Cultural Heritage Partners, and the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. Advocacy tools are offered, including sharing newsletters, compiling lists of relevant places, watching for alerts, preparing written correspondence, and contacting elected officials.

Full Take

The structure of the information positions a specific regulatory framework, Section 106, as foundational to public participation in heritage protection against federal development. The urgency is established by framing proposed revisions as potentially "devastating" threats to established safeguards, immediately shifting the context from policy discussion to urgent civic action. The inclusion of numerous advocacy links and direct action items suggests a pattern where systemic legal provisions are leveraged for immediate political mobilization. The underlying implication is that regulatory stability directly correlates with the agency and capacity of marginalized groups to exercise cultural sovereignty over their heritage. This framing taps into the inherent tension between centralized federal power and localized, historically rooted stewardship, implying that failure in the procedural mechanisms (public input) has profound consequences beyond mere administrative oversight.