Federal Action to Designate Nantucket Sound as a National Historic Landmark
The Alliance is seeking federal action to permanently protect and preserve Nantucket Sound by designating it as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) – the highest level of historic protection. A National Historic Landmark designation would formally recognize and protect Nantucket Sound’s historic, environmental, and economic values. We are pursuing NHL designation through both federal legislation and administrative action. In Congress, we are actively promoting a bill – the Nantucket Sound National Historic Landmark Act (NSNHLA) – to designate the Sound as an NHL, prevent development, protect traditional uses such as fishing and recreation, and address environmental threats. Within the U.S. Department of the Interior, we are seeking NHL designation to leverage the current Administration’s focus on preserving sacred tribal lands and Interior’s earlier determination of eligibility for listing the Sound on the National Register of Historic Places. Both paths will protect Nantucket Sound in perpetuity.
Stakeholder Support
Since beginning our preservation campaign, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound has united a group of nearly 100 stakeholder organizations to support designation of Nantucket Sound as a National Historic Landmark. The Alliance has reached out to dozens of local, state, tribal, and federal stakeholders to create a progressive bill that meets the current and urgent needs for Nantucket Sound and does so in ways that affirmatively advance Biden Administration initiatives on 30 by 30, climate change, renewable energy, and environmental justice and to support NHL designation for the Sound.