MILLCREEK, Utah -- MILLCREEK, Utah – The Utah State Historic Preservation Office has signed a first-of-its-kind agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to streamline the regulatory permitting process, while also preserving historically significant sites at the local, state, and national levels.
This agreement will help both agencies improve efficiency in complying with the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The act recognizes the importance of identifying and preserving places important to local, state, and national history with a legal mandate to review impacts to cultural resources.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers administers the Regulatory Program under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which authorizes the discharge of dredged or fill material into U.S. waters, including some wetlands. Activities regulated include, but are not limited to, fill placed in waters of the U.S. for roads, utility lines, mining, and residential and commercial development..
The new agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, Utah SHPO, and Utah’s Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office offers a streamlined pathway for regulatory review under Section 106. “It will eliminate the need for hundreds of consultations each year with the Utah SHPO, and ensures cultural resources are protected or appropriately compensated for before any fill is placed in waters of the U.S.,” said Michael Jewell, chief of the Sacramento District’s Regulatory Division.
For the past two decades, Utah’s SHPO, in partnership with the governor’s office, has reviewed applications in less than 15 days—half the time specified by the NHPA. In addition, SHPO, within the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, has worked to cut that goal to seven days or less, reducing the regulatory review time by over 75% and increasing efficiencies throughout the system.
“This agreement demonstrates our strong partnership with federal agencies, and our commitment to finding efficiencies,” said Dr. Chris Merritt, Utah’s State Historic Preservation Officer.