DAPL is the biggest issue in Public Archaeology right now [View all]

[bluedigger]

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The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL for short) is without a doubt the biggest issue in Public Archaeology right now. “But, why is this a *public* archaeology issue?” you may ask. “Doesn’t most of the pipeline route run through private land?” Well, the answer lies not only in the complicated legal framework of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, but also in Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899.

These documents are laden with jargon and legalese, but I’ll try to break them down. For the faint of heart, I’ve included a TL;DR (too long; didn’t read!) section below, and you can just jump to that. For the brave, I’ll start with the Rivers and Harbors act.

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TL;DR

The Army Corps of Engineers is required by federal law to consider the effect that the ENTIRE Dakota Access Pipeline will have on historic properties. That included talking to nearby Native American tribes that might know the location of cultural or religiously significant places that the pipeline would destroy. Apparently, the Army Corps didn’t do this before they started issuing permits. Back in May 2016, the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation took them to task for not including enough of the pipeline in their plans, and for not communicating well with Native Americans. The Army Corps dug in their heels and continued to allow pipeline construction. Look where that got them!

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http://mapabing.org/2016/09/09/dapl-is-the-biggest-issue-in-public-archaeology-right-now/