At its December 4, 2009 Board meeting, the Ohio Archaeological Council’s Board of Directors approved joining the Coalition for Full Funding of the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF).  The Coalition is comprised of national, state, and local organizations, agencies, and businesses who support securing full permanent funding for the HPF. The Society for American Archaeology, the Society for Historical Archaeology, and the American Cultural Resources Association are among the Coalition’s members. 

What is the HPF?   The HPF provides funding for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO/THPO).  These agencies administer Federal and State programs that support cultural heritage efforts in their States and on Tribal lands.  HPF money is used to operate SHPOs and THPOs, for certified local government grants, for survey and planning grants, and for other programs. The HPF's sole source of revenue is income from off-shore oil and gas leases - income from non-renewable resources supporting the preservation of other non-renewable resources, our Nation's historic heritage. Every year $150 million in off-shore oil lease revenue is deposited in the HPF, but the full amount has NEVER been appropriated. In fact, the appropriation is usually less than one third of that amount. Full, permanent funding of the HPF would make a very big difference for archaeological research and preservation efforts throughout Ohio.

Why Now? Recent Federal legislation, including H.R. 3534 - the (Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act of 2009) - and S.2747 (Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act of 2009) propose full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The HPF was modeled after the LWCF and has long been considered a "sister fund" to it. Both programs draw their funding from the same off-shore oil revenues. With enough grassroots involvement and support from Congress, the Coalition believes that it is possible to have full and permanent funding for the HPF added to one or both of those bills.

Visit  http://www.fullyfundhpf.org to learn more about the HPF, the programs it supports, and the Coalition.