US Department of the Interior
The US Department of the Interior (DOI) is responsible for enforcing federal laws and regulations related to historic preservation. The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 created the National Register of Historic Places, an official listing of sites deemed worthy of preservation. The NHPA, which the National Park Service (part of DOI) enforces, provides that the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation must be given an opportunity to comment on federal agencies’ projects on listed properties. The council reviews nominations to the National Register and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior. The Secretary makes a final determination about whether a site is eligible for placement on the National Register. In some cases, a property owner fights against the designation because being on the National Register restricts modifications that can be made to a property. The State Historic Preservation Division in Hawaiʻi is the designated state agency that makes recommendations to the DOI about historic properties in the state.
In 1973, Moanalua Gardens Foundation nominated Moanalua Valley to the National Register. The Secretary of the Interior published a notice stating that the valley was eligible to be added to the register in 1974, but it was not added. However, Pohaku ka Luahine and other pre-colonial Hawaiian cultural sites of Moanalua were added to the register in 1973. These actions confirmed the unsuitability of Moanalua as a route for H-3. In 1985, the State Historic Preservation Division determined that 17 sites in Luluku were eligible for inclusion on the National Register. In 1986, Bishop Museum submitted nomination forms to add the Luluku Discontiguous Archaeological District to the register. The DOI determined that the Luluku complex was eligible for inclusion on the register.