Cultural Resources

Implementation of Federal Historic Preservation Program Can Be Improved Gao ID: RCED-88-81 June 9, 1988

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed six agencies' compliance with the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 to determine the: (1) extent and consequences of noncompliance; and (2) actions needed to bring the agencies into compliance.

GAO found that: (1) the agencies did not fully comply with their historic preservation responsibilities; (2) federal historic properties were damaged or had significantly deteriorated as a result of the noncompliance; (3) the Secretary of the Interior did not establish an adequate training program for preservation staff; (4) the agencies failed to maximize the use of their historic buildings because they were unable to locate, account for, and nominate many historic properties; (5) the agencies did not adequately protect, preserve, or maintain their historic properties, causing deterioration and damage; and (6) the agencies stated that they needed better guidance and support from Interior, as well as specific program funding to fulfill their responsibilities.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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