FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 11, 2008
CONTACT:  Jay D. Vogt, (605) 773-3458, Jay.Vogt@state.sd.us

Vogt set to testify before House Appropriations Committee

PIERRE, S.D. – The preservation of historic properties and the federal funding to support the State Historic Preservation Offices throughout the country will be the focus of the testimony that Jay D. Vogt, Director of the South Dakota State Historical Society and State Historic Preservation Officer, will present Thursday before Congress.

Vogt, who is also president of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO), was invited to serve as a public witness before the U.S. House of Representatives, Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. Vogt testified last year, also.

According to Vogt, the State Historic Preservation Officers are responsible with implementing the National Historic Preservation Act in their individual states. The Act requires the states to perform 10 specific activities, including finding every historic place, nominating significant places to the National Register, and reviewing every federal project for impacts on historic properties.

“Funding for this work comes from the Historic Preservation Fund, and the states are required to match the federal funding,” said Vogt, “and I will be asking Congress to increase federal funding to the states because historic preservation is a sound investment and economic tool.” 

In addition, Vogt will be supporting competitive grants for SHPOs, recommended by President Bush, to help identify historic places and create electronic databases tied to a geographic information system (GIS). 

Vogt will have a support for his request. The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), a non-profit, independent coalition of top management and organizational leaders, recently released a report that found the National Historic Preservation Program “stands as a successful example of effective federal-state partnership.” 

“The NAPA report is good news for the SHPOs,” Vogt said. “The report acknowledges the states’ outstanding preservation efforts and increased workload and recommends higher funding to support our work.” 

Vogt is serving his second term as president of the NCSHPO. He has been the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Officer since 1996 and director of the State Historical Society since 2003.