eligible project costs may also include amounts paid by a Federal agency to any State to be used in carrying out such preservation responsibilities of the Federal agency under this Act, and reasonable costs may be charged to Federal licensees and permittees as a condition to the issuance of such license or permit.
“(h)Preservation awards program. The Secretary shall establish an annual preservation awards program under which he may make monetary awards in amounts of not to exceed $1,000 and provide citations for special achievement to officers and employees of Federal, State, and certified local governments in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the preservation of historic resources. Such program may include the issuance of annual awards by the President of the United States to any citizen of the United States recommended for such award by the Secretary.
“(i) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the preparation of an environmental impact statement where such a statement would not otherwise be required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,42 USC 4321 note. and nothing in this Act shall be construed to provide any exemption from any requirement respecting the preparation of such a statement under such Act.
“(j)Regulations. The Secretary shall promulgate regulations under which the requirements of this section may be waived in whole or in part in the event of a major natural disaster or an imminent threat to the national security.”.
Sec. 207. Title I of the National Historic Preservation Act is amended by adding the following at the end thereof:
“Sec. 111.Leases.
16 USC 470h-3. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any Federal agency may, after consultation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, lease an historic property owned by the agency to any person or organization, or exchange any property owned by the agency with comparable historic property, if the agency head determines that the lease or exchange will adequately insure the preservation of the historic property.
“(b)Proceeds. The proceeds of any lease under subsection (a) may, notwithstanding any other provision of law, be retained by the agency entering into such lease and used to defray the costs of administration, maintenance, repair, and related expenses incurred by the agency with respect to such property or other properties which are on the National Register which are owned by, or are under the jurisdiction or control of, such agency. Surplus funds.Any surplus proceeds from such leases shall be deposited into the Treasury of the United States at the end of the second fiscal year following the fiscal year in which such proceeds were received.
“(c)Contracts. The head of any Federal agency having responsibility for the management of any historic property may, after consultation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, enter into contracts for the management of such property. Any such contract shall contain such terms and conditions as the head of such agency deems necessary or appropriate to protect the interests of the United States and insure adequate preservation of the historic property.”.
Sec. 208. Notwithstanding section 7(a)16 USC 469c-2. of the Act of June 27, 1960 (16 U.S.C. 469c), or any other provision of law to the contrary—
- (1) identification, surveys, and evaluation carried out with respect to historic properties within project areas may be treated for purposes of any law or rule of law as planning costs of the project and not as costs of mitigation;
- (2) reasonable costs for identification, surveys, evaluation, and data recovery carried out with respect to historic properties within project areas may be charged to Federal licensees and
