Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Department of Agriculture

Forest Service National PA for Phasing Section 106 for Large-Scale, Multi-Year Undertakings, Amendment 1

                 Executed - December 6, 2021, Amended - December 23, 2024, Expires - December 23, 2039

This program comment provides the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an alternative way to comply with its responsibilities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), 54 U.S.C. 306108, and its implementing regulations at 36 CFR part 800 (Section 106), regarding vacant and underutilized properties.

This program comment exempts undertakings that may affect historic rail properties within rail rights-of-way from Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The program comment adopts a two-pronged approach: an activities-based approach and a property-based approach.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Section 106 Agreements Database is a collection of VA Memoranda of Agreements (MOAs) and Programmatic Agreements (PAs) from across the country, dating from 1974 to present. This database provides users with a way to find previously executed VA agreements that may serve as reference for current projects requiring a MOA or PA.

The Bureau of Land Management historic preservation program took an important step forward on Feb. 9, 2012, when a major revision to the national Programmatic Agreement (nPA) was signed at the business meeting of the ACHP.