Protecting and Preserving Cultural Resources

As a federal agency, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is responsible for complying with a variety of federal laws regarding the effects of agency actions on cultural resources, including prehistoric and historic resources, as well as traditional cultural properties. Cultural resource compliance is guided primarily by the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its implementing regulations. There are three components of BPA's Cultural Resource Program:

• Cultural Resource Compliance for BPA Transmission
  Services Projects
• Cultural Resource Compliance for BPA Fish and Wildlife
  Mitigation Program Projects
• Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) Cultural
  Resource Program

New! BPA is developing two separate programmatic agreements (PAs) to guide its compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. To learn more about this effort and to provide comments please click here.

BPA manages cultural resource compliance activities in collaboration with affected Tribes, State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO), Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPO), other federal and state land management agencies, the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), and interested members of the public. BPA typically manages agency compliance for Transmission Services and Fish and Wildlife Mitigation on a project by project basis, but is currently considering several programmatic approaches.

Through the FCRPS Cultural Resource Program, BPA, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work closely with other federal and state agencies, affected Tribes, and interested parties to identify, evaluate, and mitigate effects to cultural resources; including properties of traditional religious and cultural importance, that are affected by the operation of the FCRPS

BPA’s Cultural Resource staff is located in the Environmental Planning and Analysis group within the Environment, Fish & Wildlife organization.