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Document 79 of 92.

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MARCH 9, 1999, TUESDAY

SECTION: IN THE NEWS

LENGTH: 1533 words

HEADLINE: PREPARED TESTIMONY OF
EDWARD NORTON
VICE PRESIDENT FOR PUBLIC POLICY
NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES
SUBJECT - H.R. 701 -
CONSERVATION AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 1999
H.R. 798- RESOURCES 2000

BODY:

Mr. Chairman and members of the Resources Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the National Trust for Historic Preservation regarding efforts to safeguard funding to protect and conserve our nation's natural, historic and cultural resources.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation's mission is "Protecting the Irreplaceable." In 1949, Congress created the National Trust as private organization and charged the organization to lead the public/private effort to preserve our national heritage. The National Trust provides leadership, education, and advocacy to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize our communities.
Let me begin by commending both the Chairman and Congressman Miller for recognizing the importance of dedicating revenue from Outer Continental Shelf fees and royalties to the purpose of protecting our nation's most valuable and irreplaceable resources. With the foundation created through the Chairman's Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 -- H.R. 701 -- and Representative Miller's Resources 2000 legislation -- H.R. 798, I believe this Committee can forge a constructive, vital piece of legislation that enhances efforts to protect these treasures.
There is a critical difference between the Chairman's Outer Continental Shelf Impact Assistance bill and Congressman Miller's Resources 2000 bill. This difference causes the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the historic preservation community to favor very strongly the Resources 2000 bill. Resources 2000 provides full and permanent funding for the Historic Preservation Fund CHPF"). Accordingly, the National Trust recommends that this provision be included in any legislation developed by this Committee.
The Historic Preservation Fund, established under the National Historic Preservation Act, provides a crucial funding mechanism for protecting our nation's historic resources. The Historic Preservation Fund is the keystone of the partnership between the federal government, the state governments and the certified local governments, and the private sector created by the National Historic Preservation Act. This partnership has worked extraordinarily well for more than 30 years. The modest annual appropriations from the Historic Preservation Fund leverage
Protecting the Irreplaceable hundreds of millions of matching dollars from state governments and the private sector. You can see and experience the benefits of this program in almost every community in the United States -in great landmarks, buildings, and historic districts saved and communities revitalized.
The Historic Preservation Fund was established by Congress in 1976 with income from fees charged for offshore oil leases. The HPF provides matching grants to all 50 states and territories to survey districts, buildings and sites for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. It is also used to maintain and rehabilitate historic properties and to educate and inform the public. Prior to 1976 these funds came from general revenues of the U.S. government.
The financial assistance created by the Historic Preservation Fund is distributed in the following manner:
The State Historic Preservation Offices. The HPF provides significant funding for the State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) to pay half the cost of running the national preservation program. The National Historic Preservation Act requires the states to match the federal share.
The States use their I-HPF allocations to perform a number of invaluable services, such as helping local governments establish historic preservation programs and local preservation commissions; providing preservation grants; designing annual priorities to meet the preservation goals mandated by State legislatures; encouraging economic development through cultural tourism, administering the federal rehabilitation tax credit; conducting heritage education programs for the general public; providing information on historic preservation techniques; working with citizens and government agencies to identify historic places; nominating significant places to the National Register of Historic Places; and working with federal agencies to minimize harm to National Register properties.
Federal funds are apportioned to the states based on a three-tiered formula that includes 1) a Tier One Base Award in which each State receives an equal share of funding per annum subject to inflation; 2) a Tier Two Award based on the noncompetitive factors of population and the area of the State (including water boundaries out to the three- mile limit; and 3) the number of residences in each State over 50 years old as defined in the last U.S. Census.
Certified Local Governments. Local governments that have established an historic preservation commission and program that meets certain federal and state standards are eligible to participate in the Certified Local Government (CLG) program. Participation in the program allows CLGs to apply for earmarked grants (a minimum of 10% of a State's HPF allocation) to participate in the National Register nomination process and receive technical assistance and training.
Tribal Preservation Offices. To preserve vanishing tribal languages, dialects and cultural practices, as well as to protect cultural artifacts on tribal lands.Historically black colleges and universities. For preservation and protection of landmarks that symbolize the hope of the civil rights struggle and the contributions that historically black colleges and universities have made in the education of our Nation's citizens.
Save America's Treasures. This two year program was created to preserve and restore our nation's heritage as we enter the new millennium. The program allows appropriated funds to be transferred to federal agencies toward preservation and restoration of endangered historic sites, artifacts, and documents identified by the National Park Service and other federal agencies. All grants administered by the program must be matched, and the program includes a parallel private effort to raise money from corporations, foundations and individuals. It also includes a public education campaign highlighting the importance of preserving America's heritage.
The National Trust strongly supports, of course, full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Acquisition of land for national, state, and local parks, and protection of open space and greenways for recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and watershed protection should all rank as high national priorities. The Land and Water Conservation Fund takes public funds from a non-renewable resource and invests it in our renewable and sustainable resources.
The same philosophy, and the same public purposes and policy underlie the Historic Preservation Fund. Our nation's historic and cultural resources stand equal to our natural resources. Our built environment, in which most Americans spend most of their daily lives is just as important as our natural environment. As we enter a new century, we should be devoting just as much thought about public policy and just as much public funding to the environment of our cities, towns, villages, communities and inhabited landscapes as we devote to protecting the natural environment.
In preparing this testimony today, I had occasion to read again With Heritage So Rich: A Report of a Special Commission on Historic Preservation under the Auspices of the United States Conference of Mayors in 1966. This report provided the foundation for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. I commend it to your attention because it is just as relevant today as it was in 1966. The report, written in the wake of urban renewal and the destruction of stable communities by the interstate highway system in the 1950% and early 1960's, concluded that "the pace of urbanization is accelerating and the threat to our environmental heritage is mounting." Today, we read and hear the same alarm bells about "sprawl" and disinvestment in our cities, towns, and neighborhoods. The Historic Preservation Fund is a modest, highly efficient federal program for investing in our existing communities. This investment from the Historic Preservation Fund saves and re-uses existing housing, commercial, and transportation infrastructure. The Historic Preservation Fund leverages funds from the private sector. Most important, it preserves the sense of identity and special character that binds communities together - and we cannot place a value on those qualities.
In terms of authorized funding levels -- $150 million, the Historic Preservation Fund is very modest compared to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. In terms of benefits conferred to the American people, the Historic Preservation Funds ranks at the very least as an equal.Indeed, the National Trust respectfully submits that the Historic Preservation Fund is underappreciated, under-valued, and under-funded. The National Trust respectfully asks that this Committee give full and permanent funding for the Historic Preservation Fund equal consideration in the legislation now under consideration.
END

LOAD-DATE: March 12, 1999

Document 79 of 92.


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