In Consideration of Archaeologists Serving Industry, Cultural Resources and the Profession

Energy self-sufficiency has become a National priority and forthcoming energy development will be a major catalyst in transforming the way we engage in contractual archeological activities. This paper addresses the issues concerning the failure to efficiently serve the energy industry and how it can result in the cultural resource laws being changed or over-ridden. Problems which hinder such efficiency include: time, lack of qualified archeologists, Federal, state and local bureaucratic ineptitude, the "granting of clearance" by unenlightened archeologists, lack of uniform field and report standards, and absence of adequate peer review. A solution to these problems focuses on the critical need for performance standards that can be agreed upon and adhered to by all who are involved in such archeological undertakings.