PUBLIC NOTICE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT Seeking Public Comment on the development of a Section 106 Programmatic Agreement for FEMA's pre-and-post disaster assistance programs including Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant (HMGP) Programs in the State of Louisiana FEMA is updating its Statewide Programmatic Agreement to meet its responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).1 NHPA and the Section 106 regulations2 require Federal agencies to take into account the effect of their undertakings on historic properties during the planning process and consult with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and other stakeholders regarding these effects. FEMA has managed its disaster assistance programs in Louisiana through statewide agreements since 2004. These agreements have allowed FEMA to consider historic preservation concerns during emergency responses and to streamline the review of the numerous projects resulting from a major Federal disaster. The new agreement will be based on the Prototype Programmatic Agreement (PPA) developed by FEMA in consultation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers.3 The PPA provides FEMA with a consistent approach to Section 106 reviews for projects across the nation. The Louisiana agreement will encompass Section 106 reviews for FEMA's Individual, Public Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs, and will address the effects of its actions on properties that are eligible for or listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including districts, archaeological sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. The PPA also allows FEMA to coordinate Section 106 reviews with its evaluation of the proposed action's potential for significant impacts to the human and natural environment required by the National Environmental Policy Act.4 FEMA requests your comments on the new Section 106 Statewide Programmatic Agreement. Please provide this information to FEMA by September 2, 2016. Comments can be posted at: CRT Website (http://www.crt.state.la.us/culturalassets/fema106/) Or mailed to: FEMA Mail Center/Historic Preservation 1500 Main Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 1Pub. 54 U.S.C. § 306108, http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:54%20section:306108%20edition:prelim). 236 C.F.R. Part 800, http://www.achp.gov/regs-rev04.pdf. See also: http://www.achp.gov/docs/citizens-guide-2015.pdf. 3PPA Text. Letter designating the FEMA PPA: ACHP Letter. ACHP developed questions and answers regarding the FEMA PPA at: http://www.achp.gov/docs/fema-ppa-faq.pdf. 444 CFR Part 10, the Department of Homeland Security's Management Directive 5100.1, implement NEPA requirements for FEMA. https://www.fema.gov/office-environmental-planning-and-historic-preservation/national-environmental-policy-act.