Preservation Texas
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CLEAR Act – Full and Permanent Funding for the Historic Preservation Fund

Immediate action is needed! As the days before the August recess dwindle a frantic pace on the Hill ensues! Yesterday national preservation groups participated in a meeting with key House Leadership energy staffers where they learned that the plan is to take elements from H.R.4899, the CLEAR Act, (which among many other things includes full and permanent funding for the HPF), along with elements from two other energy related bills and roll them into a single package that will be considered on the House floor next week. Decisions of what elements of these bills will or will not be included in that package will be finalized this Friday - July 23rd.


IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED TODAY OR TOMORROW! The following House Leadership energy staffers need to hear from your Congressional members that they want to see permanent and guaranteed funding for the HPF included in the final package for the floor. Please contact your states' Congressional Representatives and ask that he or she:

  1. Contact Mary Frances Repko ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 202-225-3130) in House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer's (D-MD) office, to ask that the provision for full and guaranteed funding of the HPF be included in the final energy package for the floor.
  2. Contact Dr. Karen Wayland ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 202-225-0100) in House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) office, to ask that the provision for full and guaranteed funding of the HPF be included in the final package for the floor.
In the next two days we need as many Congressional members as possible to contact the folks listed above (or Reps. Hoyer and Pelosi themselves) for the HPF to have a shot at being part of the final package. ALL members count - it does not matter which committees they serve on. If you need a contact for a specific office please let me know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The $150 million HPF request is so much smaller than the $900 million LWCF request, making it very possible the HPF would fall through the cracks if we don't make enough noise.

We also need to thank House Natural Resources Chairman, Rep. Nick J. Rahall, for including the HPF in the CLEAR Act. Please take a few minutes to draft a short thank you to Rep. Rahall (contact info is provided below) and send it as a pdf to Elizabeth Hebron at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . She will be collecting "Thank You's" and will hand deliver them to his office on Monday, July 26.

Rep. Nick J. Rahall II,  Chairman
House Natural Resources Committee
2307 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515

THANK YOU to all for your work on this, and for your support of the Coalition for Full Funding. Your voice is being heard! WE CAN'T LET UP NOW!

Additional Information:
Summary: http://www.fullyfundhpf.org/media/AA/AF/fullyfundhpf-biz/downloads/24961/H.R.3534_summary.pdf

CLEAR ACT Discussion Draft Amendment http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/images/Documents/h3534_001_xml.pdf

Preservation Action  http://www.preservationaction.org/states/07.02.2010.htm

Testimony, http://www.preservationaction.org/lobbying/Testimony%20HPF%202009.pdf

National Trust’s Public Policy Weekly Bulletin, http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/newsletters/public-policy-weekly-bulletin/Public-Policy-Weekly-Bulletin-2-1-1.html

 

Round VI Courthouse Grants Announced

The Texas Historical Commission announced the recepients of the Round VI of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program at the January 29, 2010 quarterly Commission meeting.  Twenty counties recieved funds with more than $20 million awarded.  THC recieved 44 grant applications for projects totally $173 million.  For the press release, click here .

National Trust Southwest Office Preservation News

The Southwest Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation has published their Winter 2009 newsletter. Click here to view it as a pdf or visit their website at www.preservationnation.org/about-us/regional-offices/southwest/.

Texas Commission on the Arts announces the Cultural District Designation Program

The Texas Legislature has authorized the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) to officially designate Cultural Districts in Texas. Cultural Districts are found in communities of all sizes and reflect the art, culture, environment and history that shape a community’s way of life. Cultural Districts encompass a variety of facilities including performance spaces, museums and galleries, artist studios, libraries, arboretums and gardens, and historic buildings, as well as retail shops, restaurants and lodging facilities.

Interested applicants must submit a letter of intent to TCA by January 30, 2010. Arts organizations and local government departments are eligible to apply. Individual organizations or an organization representing a collaborative effort may file an application to have TCA recognize their Cultural District. Complete details on the Cultural District Designation can be found on the TCA website at http://www.arts.state.tx.us/.