Members of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) met at the Arlo Hotel in Washington, DC, on February 12 to conduct formal business. Vice Chairman Travis Voyles began the meeting by thanking ACHP staff for their work organizing the meeting, and welcoming the nine newly appointed public Members:
President Trump Appoints Seven New ACHP Members
President Trump Appoints Two New ACHP Members
He also noted his redesignation of the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions and the Preserve America Youth Summit to two-year terms as ACHP Observers. ACHP Executive Director Reid Nelson then provided an update to the Members on the reorganization of the ACHP and stressed that, in spite of a smaller staff, the agency is performing effectively and is ready to work on important initiatives.
Following initial updates and remarks, Members discussed the development of a new ACHP Strategic Plan and made final edits. Members voted to approve the plan, which was developed by ACHP staff in coordination with Members and sets goals for the agency to work toward over the next four years; including ensuring timely Section 106 reviews, fostering broad public appreciation for historic preservation, advising Congress and the executive branch on effective historic preservation policies and programs, and effectively managing agency resources.
Next, Vice Chairman Voyles introduced a discussion to consider possible revisions to the Section 106 regulations, acknowledging it has been 22 years since they were last revised. He recognized that a number of areas in the regulations have been identified where improvements might be made to streamline and modernize the regulations. He announced his intent to form a Member working group to analyze the regulations and suggest recommended changes to the full Council.
Members then discussed the U.S. Department of the Army’s request for a program comment to consider the effects of its warfighting readiness activities and associated infrastructure undertakings on historic properties. Members approved a motion to request the Army provide Members an additional 45 days to review the proposed program comment.
Lastly, ACHP staff updated Members on the status of development of a cultural resources data platform. The data platform will use AI-driven tools to accelerate and improve access to information about potentially affected historic properties early in project planning. enabling siting decisions that could reduce or avoid impacts to such properties. Use of the platform would result in time savings and cost efficiencies for Section 106 reviews and help make the overall permitting process more efficient. Staff anticipates that it will be accessible to the public in approximately 18 months.
The next business meeting will take place June 4, 2026, in Washington, DC