Snowe Calls For Historic Preservation Funding

SNOWE CALLS FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUNDING

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) recently signed onto a letter to encourage funding for the critical core programs of the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). In a letter to Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Ranking Member Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Snowe and her colleagues advocated for increasing the state historic preservation appropriation to $50 million and the tribal program to $12 million. They also urged maintaining Save America's Treasures (SAT) at last year's level- $30 million- in light of the Administration's proposal to cut funding for the program in half.

"It is essential that we protect and preserve the places that keep our history alive," said Snowe. "We must adequately fund those programs and people that work to implement historic preservation programs because such programs represent a true investment in America's legacy. Otherwise, we are at risk of losing hundreds of historic structures that are emblematic of our shared and diverse heritage."

While Senator Snowe and her colleagues are encouraged by the President's new Preserve America initiative, they strongly believe in the importance of meeting the funding needs of core HPF programs in addition to and as an essential component of this worthwhile endeavor.

The Historic Preservation Fund Core Programs Include:

State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs) SHPOs are called upon to carry out important federal historic preservation programs and do so in a cost-shared and cost-effective way. Federal investments return over 60-fold through local jobs, non-federal contributions, and long-term economic development tied to the historic properties being protected. Without an increase in program funding, state offices will not be able to identify heritage properties or provide the services needed by private citizens and public agencies seeking to preserve those properties.

Save America's Treasures (SAT) SAT leverages millions of additional dollars from foundations, corporations and individuals, and has made the difference in saving hundreds of historic sites around the country. Every federal dollar granted must be matched by a non-federal dollar, thus doubling its value. A reduction in SAT funding would seriously compromise the program's goals and undermine the leveraging value of the government's stewardship role in the place and objects that tell America's story.

Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs) THPOs provide the same vital services and functions on their tribal lands that SHPOs do elsewhere in the states. The tribal line item also funds a small grant program for tribes to conduct historic preservation within their own communities.

http://snowe.senate.gov/news.htm