Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 1. Purpose of and Need for Action
New Mexico Historic Preservation Division
The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 established the
position of State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) for each of the 50
states. NHPA also listed preservation-related tasks to be carried out by the
SHPO, who is appointed by the governor, and his or her staff. The New
Mexico Cultural Properties Act designates the director of the State’s Historic
Preservation Division (HPD) within the Department of Cultural Affairs as New Mexico’s SHPO
and lists a number of other preservation duties for the SHPO and staff. The division staff includes
professional historians, archaeologists, architects and architectural historians, as well as
administrative and financial support staff (HPD, 2003).
The SHPO’s efforts and activities are overseen at the Federal level by the National Park Service
(NPS), through which HPD receives funding from the National Historic Preservation Fund. At the
State level, a number of HPD’s activities are reviewed by the governor appointed, 7member
Cultural Properties Review Committee (CPRC), a board of preservation professionals
from all parts of New Mexico. With staff support from HPD, the CPRC grants permits for
archaeological surveys and excavations on State lands (such as those undertaken on Section 16 at
the Roca Honda Mine site), places properties on the State Register of Cultural Properties, and
makes recommendations for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
CPRC also reviews and approves State income tax credits for rehabilitation and stabilization of
registered properties (HPD, 2003).
HPD is responsible for ensuring that projects carried out, sponsored, or approved by Federal
agencies such as the Forest Service comply with Federal and State historic preservation laws. All
Federal agencies are required to initiate consultation with the SHPO as part of the Section 106
review process as established in the NHPA. HPD reviews and comments on thousands of projects
annually. The SHPO is heavily involved in the Section 106 consultation process for the proposed
Roca Honda Mine.
Figure 10 depicts the Section 106 process. On Federal projects requiring substantial
environmental review, such as the proposed Roca Honda Mine, the EIS process and the Section
106 process are conducted concurrently and interact extensively (figure 11).
26 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest