The National Historic Preservation Act on the Outer Continental Shelf: Challenges and Advances in the Stewardship of Submerged Maritime Heritage Resources

Summary

The mission of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, within the U.S. Department of the Interior, is environmentally responsible development of energy resources on the outer continental shelf (OCS). The OCS includes some 1.76 billion acres of submerged Federal lands and many types of historic properties. The activities that BOEM regulates on the OCS extend beyond this jurisdiction to include vast onshore and offshore Areas of Potential Effect. This paper will examine how BOEM archaeologists have overcome challenges – both internal and external – to the application of NHPA to activities regulated on the OCS, and how they are advancing the science of marine archaeology and the art of stewardship within the limits of the agency’s mission. It also will highlight how creative approaches and fundamental interagency coordination efforts are fulfilling the intent of NHPA in this frontier region. 

Cite this Record

The National Historic Preservation Act on the Outer Continental Shelf: Challenges and Advances in the Stewardship of Submerged Maritime Heritage Resources. Brian A. Jordan, Dave Ball, Chris Campbell, Brandi Carrier, Douglas Jones. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Washington, D.C. 2016 ( tDAR id: 434921)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 66