The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP)—our State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)—is facing an operational crisis. Due to delays in the distribution of federal grant funds, DAHP will run out of operational funds by December 2025. If funds are not distributed by this time, the programs DAHP operates and manages will be greatly reduced, jeopardizing Washington’s compliance with federal law, stalling critical infrastructure projects, and endangering irreplaceable cultural resources.

Help defend historic preservation in Washington State by speaking up to your elected officials. Scroll down for easy instructions on how to contact your Senators and Representative.

Funding Structure & Vulnerability

DAHP’s operations include 29 full-time employees supported by federal Historic Preservation Fund grants—approximately $1.25 million annually. DAHP’s required 40% match is met through state funding that supports not only staff but also state grant programs supporting local preservation projects; grant programs funding rehabilitation of historic courthouses, barns, cemeteries, and theaters; and direct funding for the Washington State Main Street Program—all programs that benefit Washington communities and support local economic development. (Please note that grant monies have already been secured for the 2025-2027 barn, county courthouse, cemetery, and theater state grants, so the delays in federal funding to DAHP does not affect those programs.)

Historic Preservation Fund monies for federal Fiscal Year 2025 have not been released to SHPOs nationwide, including DAHP here in Washington. Furthermore, the Trump Administration’s proposed budget would effectively eliminate funding in Fiscal Year 2026 that all SHPOs and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs) rely on. Without these funds, historic preservation in the State of Washington will look drastically different.

DAHP’s Essential Role in Washington

In Fiscal Year 2024, DAHP:

  • Reviewed 5,534 federal and state projects under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
  • Delivered reviews in an average of three days
  • Flagged only 37 projects for adverse impacts requiring mitigation
  • Reviewed 3,254 state projects under the Governor’s Executive Order 21-02, providing that state agencies consult with DAHP on projects with the potential to impact historic and cultural resources
  • Reviewed 10,293 local projects under both the State Environmental Policy Act and local application of Executive Order 21-02
  • Maintained more than 160 federal/state streamlining agreements—which will be voided if DAHP cannot function

DAHP also supports timely permitting for projects in energy (including solar), transportation, telecommunications, housing, and water infrastructure. It ensures Tribal consultation and cultural resource protection across Washington.

Infrastructure Projects at Risk

DAHP is involved in review of major infrastructure projects, including the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project for the bridge over the Columbia River connecting Washington and Oregon, as well as Sound Transit’s work to increase light rail service within the City of Seattle and expanding to Tacoma and Everett. Without DAHP review, these projects will be forced to consult directly with the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation—triggering months-long delays and derailing timelines.

Statewide Impacts

  • Tribal Consultation Undermined: DAHP plays a key role in amplifying Tribal voices and ensuring meaningful, government-to-government consultation on cultural and sacred sites.
  • Local Governments Defunded: DAHP works with 87 communities through Washington’s Certified Local Government program—especially rural towns like Dayton, Aberdeen, Cle Elum, Centralia, and Cheney. These communities will lose access to federal planning grants and DAHP technical assistance, imperiling heritage tourism.
  • Downtown Revitalization Stalls: Without DAHP, developers will be unable to access the 20% federal historic tax credit—a key incentive for adaptive reuse of commercial buildings, including the creation of new housing units within historic structures—leading to demolition, blight, and housing loss.
  • Heritage Site Degradation: With no DAHP support for public land managers, cultural resources across Washington will suffer from vandalism, looting, and over-visitation, harming domestic and international tourism.

Actions Needed

  • Release of Fiscal Year 2025 federal Historic Preservation Funds: Ensure that Fiscal Year 2025 funds appropriated by Congress are released to SHPO and THPO offices across the country.
  • Support the appropriation of Historic Preservation Funds in Fiscal Year 2026: The Trump Administration has proposed eliminating all funding for SHPOs and THPOs in Fiscal Year 2026, along with important grant programs that fund historic preservation work.

What You Can Do

Write to Washington Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, along with your Congressional member in the House of Representatives. Feel free to use and/or adapt this sample language in your comments:

Dear [Senator or Representative Name],

I’m reaching out as a constituent in support of our country’s State Historic Preservation Offices. Federal funding delays are currently threatening to dismantle our historic preservation ecosystem. Congress must act now to preserve SHPOs’ essential functions. Without action, the cost to Washington’s communities, infrastructure, Tribal nations, and cultural legacy will be immeasurable. I urge you to:

(1) Uphold the authority of the legislative branch to appropriate funds by facilitating the immediate approval of the Fiscal Year 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity and the subsequent swift review and approval of applications to ensure that the work of SHPOs and THPOs continues to aid in the preservation of our nation’s heritage.

(2) Demonstrate continued, bipartisan commitment to our nation’s history ahead of the 2026 Semiquincentennial—by proposing Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations necessary for SHPOs and THPOs to carry out the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act, emphasizing their role as stewards of our nation’s history, and by investing in preservation projects that recognize the past with an eye toward the future.

Please act now to protect places that matter to Washington and to the United States.

Signed,

[Insert Your Name Here]

Submit your comments here:

Senator Patty Murray
Senator Maria Cantwell
Your House Representative

For more information, please visit the website of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers’ Historic Preservation Under Threat webpage.