Public comment periods are the principal mechanism for federal agencies to receive feedback on draft rules, regulations, and policies before they are put into final form and officially promulgated. It is important that the geoscience community plays a part in the development of policies regarding the treatment of fossils on public lands. Most vertebrate fossils are rare. Some invertebrate and plant fossils are rare. Penalties for fossil theft should be strengthened.
Effective stewardship requires accurate information.
Federal fossil collections should be preserved and available for research and public education. Federal fossil management should emphasize opportunities for public involvement. The public comment period lasts until November 29th, and geoscientists are encouraged to submit their views on this draft. Actions taken by DOI were triggered by an obscure provision in report language accompanying the Senate-passed S. 2237, the Fiscal Year 1999 Interior and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which funds DOI and the U.S. Forest Service. Access to fossils on public lands has been an issue of longstanding concern for Johnson, who co-sponsored H.R. 2943, the Fossil Preservation Act of 1996, while serving in the House of Representative during the 104th Congress.