WSR 18-14-028
PROPOSED RULES
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY
AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION
[Filed June 26, 2018, 12:25 p.m.]
Original Notice.
Preproposal statement of inquiry was filed as WSR 18-04-077.
Title of Rule and Other Identifying Information: Chapter 25-48 WAC, archaeology and historic preservation, new definition and requirements for the creation of an archaeological monitoring permit.
Hearing Location(s): On August 20, 2018, at 1:00, at the Natural Resources Building, 111 Washington Street S.E., Olympia, WA 98501.
Date of Intended Adoption: August 27, 2018.
Submit Written Comments to: Lance Wollwage, P.O. Box 48343, Olympia, WA 98504-8343, email lance.wollwage@dahp.wa.gov, by August 20, 2018.
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: Contact Lance Wollwage, phone 360-586-3536, email lance.wollwage@dahp.wa.gov, by August 1, 2018.
Purpose of the Proposal and Its Anticipated Effects, Including Any Changes in Existing Rules: The Washington state department of archaeology and historic preservation (DAHP) is revising rules for the issuance of archaeological excavation and removal permits under WAC 25-48-020 and 25-48-060. DAHP has identified the need to develop rules that simplify requirements for permits that propose archaeological monitoring. The proposed monitoring permit simplifies and reduces application requirements and DAHP anticipates the cost to applicants for this permit will be reduced.
Reasons Supporting Proposal: Under WAC 25-48-060, application requirements for archaeological excavation and removal permits are based on the needs of intensive scientific data-recovery efforts, including lengthy and detailed context statements and research designs. Archaeological monitoring work does not require the context and level of detail currently required for permit applications under WAC 25-48-060. Simplifying the application requirements for archaeological monitoring permit applications will reduce the time and effort needed to produce applications by professional archaeologists and project proponents, and the time and effort to review applications by agency and tribal staff.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 27.34.220, 27.53.140, 43.21C.120.
Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.
Name of Proponent: DAHP, governmental.
Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting, Implementation, and Enforcement: Lance Wollwage, Olympia, 360-586-3536.
A school district fiscal impact statement is not required under RCW 28A.305.135.
A cost-benefit analysis is not required under RCW 34.05.328. Adoption of the proposed rules will reduce applicant costs.
This rule proposal, or portions of the proposal, is exempt from requirements of the Regulatory Fairness Act because the proposal:
Is exempt under RCW 19.85.025(3) as the rules adopt, amend, or repeal a procedure, practice, or requirement relating to agency hearings; or a filing or related process requirement for applying to an agency for a license or permit.
June 26, 2018
Lance Wollwage
Assistant State Archaeologist
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-06-001, filed 2/15/06, effective 3/18/06)
WAC 25-48-020Definitions.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.
(1) "Archaeology" means systematic, scientific study of the human past through material remains.
(2) "Historic" means peoples and cultures who are known through written documents in their own or other languages. As applied to underwater archaeological resources, the term historic shall include only those properties which are listed in or eligible for listing in the Washington State Register of Historic Places (RCW 27.34.220) or the National Register of Historic Places as defined in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Title 1, Sec. 101, Public Law 889-665; 80 Stat. 915; 16 U.S.C. Sec. 470) as now or hereafter amended.
(3) "Prehistoric" means peoples and cultures who are unknown through contemporaneous written documents in any language.
(4) "Professional archaeologist" means a person who:
(a) Has designed and executed an archaeological study as evidenced by a thesis or dissertation and been awarded an advanced degree such as an M.A., M.S., or Ph.D. in archaeology, anthropology, history or other germane discipline with a specialization in archaeology from an accredited institution of higher education; and
(b) Has a minimum of one year of field experience with at least twenty-four weeks of field work under the supervision of a professional archaeologist, including no less than twelve weeks of survey or reconnaissance work and at least eight weeks of supervised laboratory experience. Twenty weeks of field work in a supervisory capacity must be documentable with a report on the field work produced by the individual.
(5) "Public lands" means lands owned by or under the possession, custody, or control of the state of Washington or any county, city, or political subdivision of the state; including the state's submerged lands under the Submerged Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. Sec. 1301 et seq.
(6) "Site restoration" means to repair the archaeological property to its preexcavation vegetational and topographic state.
(7) "Amateur society" means any organization composed primarily of persons who are not professional archaeologists, whose primary interest is in the archaeological resources of the state, and which has been certified in writing by two professional archaeologists.
(8) "Archaeological object" means an object that comprises the physical evidence of an indigenous and subsequent culture including material remains of past human life including monuments, symbols, tools, facilities, and technological by-products.
(9) "Archaeological site" means a geographic locality in Washington, including but not limited to, submerged and submersible lands and the bed of the sea within the state's jurisdiction, that contains archaeological objects.
(10) "Archaeological resource" means any material remains of human life or activities which are of archaeological interest, including all sites, objects, structures, artifacts, implements, and locations of prehistorical or archaeological interest, whether previously recorded or still unrecognized, including, but not limited to, those pertaining to prehistoric and historic American Indian or aboriginal burials, campsites, dwellings, and their habitation sites, including rock shelters and caves, their artifacts and implements of culture such as projectile points, arrowheads, skeletal remains, grave goods, basketry, pestles, mauls, and grinding stones, knives, scrapers, rock carvings and paintings, and other implements and artifacts of any material.
(11) "Historic archaeological resources" means those properties which are listed in or eligible for listing in the Washington State Register of Historic Places (RCW 27.34.220) or the National Register of Historic Places as defined in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Title 1, Sec. 101, Public Law 89-665; 80 Stat. 915; 16 U.S.C. Sec. 470) as now or hereafter amended.
(12) "Of archaeological interest" means capable of providing scientific or humanistic understandings of past human behavior, cultural adaptation, and related topics through the application of scientific or scholarly techniques such as controlled observation, contextual measurement, controlled collection, analysis, interpretation, and explanation.
(13) "Director" means the director of the department of archaeology and historic preservation or his or her designee.
(14) "Department" means the department of archaeology and historic preservation.
(15) "State historic preservation officer" means the director, who serves as the state historic preservation officer under RCW 43.334.020.
(16) "Suspension" means the abeyance of a permit under this chapter for a specified period of time.
(17) "Revocation" means the termination of a permit under this chapter.
(18) "Mitigation" means:
(a) Avoiding the impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of an action;
(b) Minimizing impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of the action and its implementation, by using appropriate technology, or by taking affirmative steps to avoid or reduce impacts;
(c) Rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the affected environment;
(d) Reducing or eliminating the impact over time by preservation and maintenance operations during the life of the action;
(e) Compensating for the impact by replacing, enhancing, or providing substitute resources or environments; and/or
(f) Monitoring the impact and taking appropriate corrective measures.
(19) "Abandonment" means that the resource has been deserted and the owner has relinquished ownership rights with no retention, as demonstrated by a writing, oral communication, action, or inaction.
(20) "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, trust, institution, association, or other private entity; or any officer, employee, agent, department, or instrumentality of the state or any county, city, or other political subdivision of the state.
(21) "Permittee" means any person who holds an active archaeological excavation permit issued under RCW 27.53.060 and this chapter.
(22) "Respondent" means any person who has received a notice of violation under WAC 25-48-041, a notice of permit denial under WAC 25-48-105, a notice that a right of first refusal has been extinguished under WAC 25-48-108, or a notice of suspension or revocation under WAC 25-48-110, and who has filed an application for an adjudicative proceeding.
(23) "Repository" means a facility, including but not limited to, a museum, archeological center, laboratory, or storage facility managed by a university, college, museum, other educational or scientific institution of a federal, state or local government agency or Indian tribe that provides secure, environmentally controlled storage, for archaeological collections and their associated records making them available for scientific, educational and cultural needs.
(24) "Archaeological value" means the cost comparable volume archaeological excavation would be, including retrieving scientific information from the site before it was vandalized. This includes field work, lab analysis, background research and reporting, and curation of the collection and records.
(25) "Archaeological monitoring" means the observation of ground-disturbing activities by a professional archaeologist as described in subsection (4) of this section in order to identify, document, avoid, and/or recover human skeletal remains and archaeological resources, under a plan approved by the department.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-06-001, filed 2/15/06, effective 3/18/06)
WAC 25-48-060Summary of information required of an applicant.
(1) Each application for ((a)) an archaeological site alteration and excavation permit shall include:
(a) An archaeological site alteration and excavation permit application coversheet;
(b) Sufficient background information and summary of previous field investigation, research and data gaps about the site(s) proposed for excavation such that the reviewers have a comprehensive understanding of the site(s) and current research questions to be able to review the proposal as a complete document((.
(b)));
(c) The nature and extent of the work proposed, including how and why it is proposed to be conducted and the methods proposed for excavation and recovery, number and placement of excavation units, proposed excavation volumes, proposed time of performance, locational maps, and a completed site inventory form((.
(c)));
(d) Summary of the environmental setting and depositional context, with an emphasis on vegetation, past and present available natural resources, geomorphology and formation processes, and their relationship to the archaeological deposits((.
(d)));
(e) An artifact inventory plan detailing the character of the expected data categories to be recovered including the proposed methods of inventorying the recovered data and proposed methods of cleaning, stabilizing, and curating of specimens and recovered data consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's standards for archaeological curation in 36 C.F.R. Part 79((.
(e)));
(f) If human remains are proposed for recovery, a plan for their removal and disposition must be provided; if human remains are not proposed for recovery, a plan for responding to the inadvertent discovery of human remains must be provided((.
(f)));
(g) A professional, scientific research design, including research questions, demonstrating that the work and reporting will be performed in a scientific and technically acceptable manner utilizing methods and techniques designed to address current scientific research questions and cultural resource management plans((.
(g)));
(h) The name and address of the individual(s) proposed to be responsible for conducting the work, institutional affiliation, if any, and evidence of education, training, and experience in accord with the minimal qualifications listed in this chapter((.
(h)));
(i) The name and address of the individual(s) proposed to be responsible for carrying out the terms and conditions of the permit, if different from the individual(s) enumerated under (g) of this subsection((.
(i)));
(j) Financial evidence of the applicant's ability to initiate, conduct, and complete the proposed work, including evidence of logistical support and laboratory facilities and evidence of financial support for analysis and report writing((.
(j)));
(k) A plan for site restoration following excavation activities and evidence of plans to secure bonding to cover the cost of site restoration((.
(k)));
(l) Evidence of an agreement for the proposed work from the owner, agency, or political subdivision with management responsibility over the land((.
(l)));
(m) A site security plan to assure the protection of the site and its contents during the public permit review and excavation process((.
(m)));
(n) A public participation plan detailing the extent of public involvement and dissemination of project results to the public, as appropriate. Examples of appropriate public dissemination can include, but not be limited to: Archaeology Month lectures, slide shows, anthropological conferences, school presentations, newspaper articles, if warranted((.
(n)));
(o) A completed environmental checklist as required by WAC 197-11-100 to assist the department in making a threshold determination and to initiate SEPA compliance((.
(o)));
(p) Evidence of abandonment: Abandonment will be presumed where the applicant presents information that thirty or more years have elapsed since the loss of the resource. If it appears to the department from any source that the resource has not been abandoned or may not have been abandoned, and in the case of all United States government warships, aircraft, or other public vessels, the department will find that the presumption does not arise and will require proof of abandonment. Proof may be satisfied by submission of a statement of abandonment from the owner, his or her successors, assigns or legal representatives, or through final adjudication by a court of law((.
(p)));
(q) Disclosure by the applicant of any previous violation of this chapter or any federal or state law regulating archaeological objects or sites, historic archaeological resources, glyptic or painted records, or native Indian cairns or graves. The applicant shall disclose any such violation by the applicant, by the individual(s) proposed to be responsible for conducting the work, or by the individual(s) proposed to be responsible for carrying out the terms and conditions of the permit, and shall provide details, dates, and circumstances of each violation((.
(q))); and
(r) Disclosure by the applicant of outstanding archaeological excavation permits issued by the department to the applicant.
(2) Each application for an archaeological monitoring permit shall include:
(a) An archaeological monitoring permit application coversheet;
(b) Sufficient background information and summary of previous field investigation and research about the site(s) proposed for monitoring, such that the reviewers have a comprehensive understanding of the site(s) to be able to review the proposal as a complete document;
(c) The nature and extent of the work proposed, including how and why it is proposed to be conducted and the methods proposed for monitoring, proposed time of performance, locational maps showing archaeological and project construction elements and monitoring areas;
(d) A protocol for immediate steps to be taken on-site by the archaeological monitor should they find archaeological resources or human skeletal remains and stating the authority of the archaeologists to halt excavations or other activities that may endanger archaeological resources or human skeletal remains. The protocol must state that if archaeological resources are identified during archaeological monitoring, measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts, collect and curate artifacts and records must be addressed through a permit amendment after additional consultation with the DAHP and interested/affected tribes;
(e) The name and address of the professional archaeologist(s) who will conduct the monitoring work;
(f) The name and address of the individual(s) proposed to be responsible for carrying out the terms and conditions of the permit, if different from the individual(s) enumerated under (e) of this subsection; and
(g) A completed site inventory form.
(3) Where the application is for the excavation and/or removal of archaeological resources on public lands, the name of the Washington university, museum, repository or other scientific or educational institution meeting the Secretary of the Interior's standards for archaeological curation in 36 C.F.R. Part 79, in which the applicant proposes to store all collections, and copies of records, data, photographs, and other documents derived from the proposed work other than human skeletal remains and funerary objects. The applicant shall submit written certification, signed by an authorized official of the institution, of willingness to assume curatorial responsibility for the collections, records, data, photographs and other documents and to safeguard, preserve, and allow for the future scientific access to these materials as property of the state.
(((3))) (4) Where the application is for the excavation and/or removal of archaeological resources on private land, the name of the university, museum, repository, or other scientific or educational institution in which the applicant proposes to store copies of records, data, photographs, and other documents derived from the proposed work and all collections in the event the landowner wishes to take custody of the collection. The applicant shall submit written certification from the landowner stating this intention. If the landowner does not wish to take custody of the collection, the name of the university, museum, repository, or other scientific or educational institution in which the collection will be curated. The applicant shall submit written certification, signed by an authorized official of the institution, of willingness to assume curatorial responsibility for the collections, if applicable, and/or the records, data, photographs, and other documents derived from the proposed work and to safeguard, preserve, and allow for the future scientific access to these materials.
(((4))) (5) An applicant may temporarily curate a collection identified in subsection (((2) or (3))) (3) or (4) of this section in a repository that meets the Secretary of the Interior's standards for archaeological curation in 36 C.F.R. Part 79 until the appropriate Indian tribe has available facilities meeting the Secretary of the Interior's standards for archaeological curation in 36 C.F.R. Part 79 into which the collection may be curated.
(((5))) (6) Where the application is for the excavation and/or removal of a historic archaeological resource that is an historic aircraft, the name of the Washington museum, historical society, nonprofit organization, or governmental entity that proposes to assume curatorial responsibility for the resource. The applicant shall submit written certification, signed by an authorized official of the institution, of willingness to assume curatorial responsibility for the resource and all associated records, data, photographs and other documents derived from the proposed work and to safeguard, preserve, and allow for the future scientific and public access to these materials.
(((6))) (7) After review of the application, the department may require additional information to properly evaluate the proposed work and shall so inform the applicant. Field investigation or research may be required of the applicant or conducted by the department at the applicant's cost. A bond in an amount specified by the department may be required of the applicant to ensure payment of the professional expenses incurred by the department. Advance notice of any anticipated cost shall be given to the applicant.