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Title 54 — National Park Service and Related ProgramsRelease 119-73

§307101 World Heritage Convention

Title 54 › Subtitle Subtitle III— - National Preservation Programs › Chapter CHAPTER 3071— - MISCELLANEOUS › § 307101

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior must run and coordinate U.S. participation in the World Heritage Convention, either directly or through an Interior Department officer. The Secretary must work with the Secretary of State, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Council, and when possible pay foreign expenses in the local currency. The Secretary must regularly nominate U.S. places that are internationally important to the World Heritage Committee, but only if the place is already declared nationally significant. Nominations must show legal protections (for example, easements or covenants), and the Secretary must notify the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee before nominating. No non‑Federal property may be nominated without the owner’s written consent. Before approving any project outside the U.S. that could harm a listed World Heritage property or a country’s similar list, a Federal agency head must consider and try to avoid or reduce the harm.

Full Legal Text

Title 54, §307101

National Park Service and Related Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In carrying out this section, the Secretary of the Interior may act directly or through an appropriate officer in the Department of the Interior.
(b)The Secretary shall direct and coordinate participation by the United States in the World Heritage Convention in cooperation with the Secretary of State, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Council. Whenever possible, expenditures incurred in carrying out activities in cooperation with other nations and international organizations shall be paid for in such excess currency of the country or area where the expense is incurred as may be available to the United States.
(c)The Secretary shall periodically nominate property that the Secretary determines is of international significance to the World Heritage Committee on behalf of the United States. No property may be nominated unless it has previously been determined to be of national significance. Each nomination shall include evidence of such legal protections as may be necessary to ensure preservation of the property and its environment (including restrictive covenants, easements, or other forms of protection). Before making any nomination, the Secretary shall notify the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.
(d)No non-Federal property may be nominated by the Secretary to the World Heritage Committee for inclusion on the World Heritage List unless the owner of the property concurs in the nomination in writing.
(e)Prior to the approval of any undertaking outside the United States that may directly and adversely affect a property that is on the World Heritage List or on the applicable country’s equivalent of the National Register, the head of a Federal agency having direct or indirect jurisdiction over the undertaking shall take into account the effect of the undertaking on the property for purposes of avoiding or mitigating any adverse effect.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 307101(a)no source. 307101(b) through (d)16 U.S.C. 470a–1.Pub. 96–515, title IV, § 401, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 3000; Pub. L. 103–437, § 6(d)(28), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4584. 307101(e)16 U.S.C. 470a–2.Pub. L. 96–515, title IV, § 402, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 3000. Subsection (a) is added for clarity because of the definition of “Secretary” in section 300316 of the new title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

54 U.S.C. § 307101

Title 54 — National Park Service and Related Programs

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73