(a) National Park Service policy of management by exception. The National Park Service (NPS) will administer the regulations in this part in such a way (and where feasible) as to:

(1) Limit the use of direct Federal management review procedures to high risk situations, to new programs, or to activities that are appropriate for the Federal Government to oversee;

(2) Presume that State, tribal, and local government historic preservation officials manage their programs in an accountable way unless situations indicate the contrary; and

(3) Rely to the maximum extent feasible on State, tribal, and local government systems of financial and program management that meet Federal standards. At the discretion of the Secretary, each State, tribal, and local government may substitute its own fiscal audit and management systems for the Secretary's comparable fiscal audit and management requirements, so long as the State, tribal, or local government system establishes and maintains accounting standards substantially similar to Federal standards and provides for independent peer review.

(b) The Secretary's Standards. NPS will use the Secretary's Standards as technical performance standards for matters covered by this part. NPS may also use as technical performance standards (for matters covered by this part) additional guidance that NPS identifies and provides from time to time after appropriate consultation and notice.

(c) Each State historic preservation program staff member, State Historic Preservation Review Board (Review Board) member, and certified local government (CLG) historic preservation review commission (Commission) member whom the Secretary has approved as meeting “the Secretary's (Historic Preservation) Professional Qualifications Standards” will retain that status, regardless of subsequent revisions to those Standards, until such time as that individual no longer works in that program, or serves on that Review Board, or serves on that Commission with which that individual was affiliated as of the date of that individual's approval.

(d) You may obtain publications and other information mentioned in this part by contacting: Heritage Preservation Services, National Center for Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnership Programs, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW (NC Suite 200), Washington, D.C. 20240 or via the National Park Service Home Page for cultural programs at http://www.cr.nps.gov.