The Bureau of Land Management published a 77-page report online with detailed locations and descriptions of Native American relics in Utah.
revealnews.org/article/oops-f…
The problem? The information was supposed to be secret -- and for good reason.
revealnews.org/article/oops-f…
The problem? The information was supposed to be secret -- and for good reason.
2/ The document, which stayed online for several days, exposed almost 900 priceless artifacts spanning 13,000 years of Native American history to vandalism and looting.
3/ Experts called its release a “big screwup,” and said it could be a “gold mine” for relic hunters eager to loot.
4/ The report was published in advance of the US government’s oil and gas lease of 51,482 acres in Utah. This is the most archaeologically rich land that’s ever been leased to industry.
5/ Before the BLM realized its error and took the report down, Reveal downloaded a copy.
6 / The report’s sudden appearance shocked Native Americans and researchers, many of whom had provided the BLM the highly sensitive information about the relics.
7 / The release of secret information came after an executive order issued by President Trump last year to expedite oil leases and eliminate “regulatory burdens” for energy companies.
8 / The Bureau of Land Management is supposed to conduct environmental reviews, seek public comments and consult with tribes before auctioning off federal land.
9/ But earlier this year, a Reveal investigation found that the BLM was conducting lease sales without analyzing all available archaeological data.
10 / After it took the report down, the BLM republished it. This time they blacked out entire pages of detailed site descriptions and info on their locations.
11 / But experts believe the report could have fallen into the hands of looters.
12 / “Once something becomes public and is on the internet, trying to keep it a secret is a lost cause,” said Josh Ewing, director of the Friends of Cedar Mesa.
13 / To learn more about this story and to hear how the Trump administration is overhauling management of public lands, tune into tomorrow’s episode of Reveal.
