Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), an independent United States federal agency, is charged with the mission to promote the preservation of the nation's diverse historic resources. The ACHP advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy and also provides a public forum for stakeholders and the public to influence federal agency decisions regarding federal projects and programs that affect historic properties. The ACHP promotes the importance of historic preservation to foster an understanding of the nation's heritage and the contribution that historic preservation can make to contemporary communities, along with their economic and social well-being.
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1966 |
| Jurisdiction | United States federal government |
| Headquarters | 401 F Street NW, Suite 308 Washington, D.C. 20001 |
| Employees | 40 (2020) |
| Annual budget | $7.378 million (2020) |
| Agency executives |
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| Website | www.achp.gov |
The ACHP was created by the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, which sets forth most of the ACHP's duties and authorities. Passage of the NHPA was a watershed event that launched a transformation of the federal government from an agent of indifference—frequently responsible for the needless loss of historic resources—to a facilitator, an agent of thoughtful change, and a responsible steward of historic properties for future generations.
The ACHP, created by the NHPA, is the only federal agency whose sole mission is promoting the preservation of the nation's diverse historic resources.
In keeping with these concepts, the ACHP is responsible for overseeing the federal historic preservation review process established by Section 106 of the NHPA (now codified as 54 U.S.C. 306108). Section 106 requires federal agencies to consider the effects of federal projects on historic properties and to provide the ACHP an opportunity to weigh in on project impacts.
Based on authority granted by the NHPA, the ACHP has issued regulations (36 CFR Part 800) that spell out how agencies should meet their Section 106 responsibilities efficiently and effectively while giving due consideration to the historic places that communities value. Administering application of the Section 106 review process is a major ACHP responsibility.