§312502 Threat of Irreparable Loss or Destruction of Significant Scientific, Prehistorical, Historical, or Archeological Data by Federal Construction Projects

Summary

Federal agencies must tell the Secretary in writing if a federal construction project or a federally licensed activity might destroy important scientific, prehistoric, historical, or archaeological information. The agency must give details about the project. The agency can ask the Secretary to recover, protect, and save the information (including surveys, studies, analysis, and publishing results), or the agency can use its project money to do those tasks itself. Copies of any investigation reports must go to the Secretary, who will make them available to the public. If a federal agency gives money to a private person, group, or public entity and data might be lost, the Secretary may, using funds set aside for that purpose and with the property owners’ consent, survey the site and recover and preserve the information. The Secretary must pay anyone harmed by construction delays or by temporary loss of use of private or other nonfederal land, unless there is a different written agreement.