16 U.S.C. § 470dd — Custody of archaeological resources

The Secretary of the Interior may write regulations that provide for: (1) exchanging archaeological resources, where appropriate, between suitable universities, museums, or other scientific or educational institutions, when those resources were removed from public lands and Indian lands under this chapter; and (2) deciding what ultimately happens to those resources and to other resources removed under chapter 3125 or chapter 3203 of title 54. Any exchange or final disposition of resources taken from Indian lands needs the consent of the Indian or Indian tribe who owns or has jurisdiction over that land. Once these regulations are issued, they control what happens to archaeological resources removed from public lands and Indian lands under this chapter, regardless of any other law.