Take Action: Section 106

This story was published on August 3, 2026 

Photo of a PNC Protected Property in Oxford, once St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church built in 1892 and on the National Register. Today it serves as local eatery, Sanctum Coffee & Wine Bar only after going through Section 106 Review and being saved from demolition.

Preservation North Carolina’s Call to Action: Section 106 Review 

This country is in the midst of addressing a major threat to rewrite and weaken enforcement of the National Preservation Act of 1966. Specifically, it targets Section 106 of the Act by strengthening the power of federal government to determine whether — if ever — to tell Americans that it plans a major project that could be detrimental their community’s historic resources. Historic places such as churches, schools, cemeteries, and downtowns will be threatened. 

Get Involved! Preservation North Carolina is partnering with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and community organizations to outline impactful steps in addressing the actions of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). To learn more about Section 106, why it’s important and what’s at stake, click here.  

Preservation North Carolina asks members of our community to act by putting pressure against this major threat by taking these 3 action steps.  

Submit Comments to the ACHP 

If you would like to draft specific technical arguments addressing your concerns with the proposed rewrite of Section 106, the ACHP requests highly specific comments targeting the text revisions to 36 C.F.R. Part 800. Consider highlighting specific risks, such as how removing indirect impact evaluations (like changes in setting and visual impacts to rural properties) or making mitigation optional (like sound barriers or routing roads away from sites) directly harms local economies, cultural heritage, and sacred sites. You may upload these specific comments directly through the federal portal. We will share this link to this federal portal once it is available, but you may go ahead and gather your materials and writing and public comment.

Engage Your Advocacy Partners 

Make sure your preservation commissions, field colleagues, and neighborhood associations understand the impact of this proposed increase in federal powers. This national campaign connects national, statewide, and local organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation North Carolina, NC Main Street, and our state’s incredible grassroots local partner organizations. Everyone can be made aware of these threats by sharing pre-drafted talking points, data sheets, and analytical presentations provided by legal preservation resources like Cultural Heritage Partners. 

Lobby OUR Lawmakers 

Contact your federal Senators and Representatives to make sure they are aware of your concerns. Ask North Carolina’s federal delegation to monitor these developments and for these elected representatives to encourage the ACHP to avoid the severe regulatory confusion and litigation risks these rules may cause. For updates and to keep connected, consider signing up for alerts here.