To Mary Krugman's response to John Stahl I would only add that a
major area of regulatory use of the Standards and Guidelines is
in federal undertakings.  All federally permitted or funded projects which
have effects on historic structures would follow the Secretary of Interior's
Standards and Guidelines in negotiating the treatment of specific
properties affected by the undertaking.  Undertakings are as diverse as
HUD projects in urban or rural settings, Federal Aid to States for
Highways, National Park concessions and administrative buildings or
Bureau of Indian Affairs funded schools on Indian Lands.  Any federal
involvement can be the nexus to invoke following the Standards and
Guidelines, making them an important tool for preservation activists.  If you
can find a federal involvement in the project then the Standards and
Guidelines should be followed as a responsibility of the federal official
responsible for funding or permitting the project in the treatment of any
historic properties involved- by Federal Law, namely the National Historic
Preservation Act.  Hope this helps.

Mark Henderson
Ely, Nevada