Invitation to Comment on the Updated Draft Programmatic Agreement Governing Section 106 Review of FEMA-Funded Undertakings in California

The purpose of this document is to provide an invitation to comment and provide input on the updated draft Programmatic Agreement (Agreement) to govern the protection of cultural resources and historic properties potentially affected by grant projects (Undertakings) funded by the U.S Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the State of California.

The following signatories with responsibilities under the updated Agreement have been identified:

• FEMA
• California State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
• California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) requires federal agencies to take into account the effects of their Undertakings on historic properties, including federally-funded grants administered by FEMA.

FEMA’s current 2014 Agreement in the State of California has been in effect for 5 years and is scheduled to terminate in 2019. FEMA has developed the updated Agreement, currently as a draft, based on extensive use of the 2014 Agreement and comments from Cal OES and the SHPO.

Federally-recognized Native American Tribes (Tribes) with lands in California, tribes residing outside California with ancestral interest within the state, representatives of organizations with interests in historic and cultural resources, and interested members of the public are invited to provide comment on the updated draft Agreement. The signatory parties will take all comments into account in preparing the final Agreement for execution.

If you or your organization is interested and would like to comment on the updated draft Agreement, please respond in one of the following ways before the closing date. Please provide your name and contact information and indicate if you are responding on behalf of an organization. A copy of the updated draft Agreement is available at the following website: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/182571.

 

Mail:

Office of Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation

FEMA, Region IX

1111 Broadway, Suite 1200 Oakland, CA 94607-4052

 

Email: FEMA-RIX-EHP-Documents@fema.dhs.gov

Telephone: 510-627-7027