{
  "id": "RL32667",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32667",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101055,
      "date": "2004-11-08",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T20:04:36.155837",
      "title": "Federal Management and Protection of Paleontological (Fossil) Resources Located on Federal Lands: Current Status and Legal Issues",
      "summary": "Paleontological [fossil] resources are of great interest to scholars, dealers in rare objects, and\nlegislators. Large tracts of land under federal management possess valuable fossil resources, many\nof which remain unexcavated. Concern has developed over the protection and management of these\nresources, some of which have been subject to theft and/or vandalism.\n  There is no comprehensive statute or management policy for the protection and management\nof fossils on federal lands. Federal authority may derive from a number of statutes relating to the\nprotection of public properties. There is no consistent and dispositive body of caselaw which\nprovides guidance for the regulation and control of fossil resources located on federal property. \nPending federal legislation is intended to provide for the uniform management and protection of\npaleontological resources on federal lands.\n  As there is not consistent federal regulation of fossil resources, a variety of not necessarily\nconsistent definitions exist for such key terms as \"paleontological resource,\" \"fossil,\" \"federal\nlands,\" and other related terms. \n  Several federal agencies have management authority for the protection of fossil resources on\nthe lands under their jurisdictions. Four agencies within the Department of the Interior exercise such\nauthority: Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, and\nNational Park Service. The U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the Department of Agriculture, has\ncertain fossil management responsibilities. In addition, the U.S. Geological Survey is responsible\nfor inventorying certain federal lands and resources. The Department of Defense and the\nSmithsonian Institution also have some fossil management responsibilities. The authorities and\nresponsibilities of these agencies are examined in the report.\n  Agency enforcement and prosecution policies differ greatly. The policies and practices of the\nNational Park Service (NPS) have been examined in more detail in this report than those of other\nagencies. NPS law enforcement personnel take action against persons involved in fossil\ntheft-destruction following an analysis and determination of the appropriate penalties by the U.S.\nAttorney's Office. Each incident is considered on a case-by-case basis. This report will be updated.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL32667",
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "American Law"
  ]
}