Evening star., 1948-03-08
Giving Away q National Asset

The supreme courts decision IN the
tidelands oil case last June seemed to
settle the legal question of who owns the
oil that lies under the ocean off the coast
of the United States.
The Federal Government, rather than
the States, owns it. That would be in
ferred, at least, from the courts specific
finding that "California is not the owner
Of the three-mile marginal belt along its
coast, and that the Federal Government
rather than the State has paramount
rights in and power over that belt, an
incident to which is full dominion over
the resources of the soil under that water
area, including OIL"
This question of ownership, or sover-
eighty, having been established by the
highest court of the land, one would think
that the representatives Of the people of
the United States in Congress would be
busy mailing it down; providing for future
conservation of mineral and oil deposits
and making the rules for their develop
ment as a great national resource.
Not so. The main effort in Congress now
Is to upset the finding of the Supreme
Court, to disclaim the rights of the United
States and to make an outright gift to a
few coastal States Of what is rightfully the
property of the people of all the States.
Bills to effect such purposes are getting
the attention of a joint subcommittee OF
the House and Senate Judiciary Commit
tees. But the carefully prepared measures
of the National Military Establishment,
the Interior and Justice Departments, de-
signed to carry out the meaning of the
Supreme Court decision and provide the
method for exploitation of the oil and
other reserves under the marginal sea in
the interests of the people of the United
States, are ignored. The main Govern
ment bill has been referred to the Com
mittee on Interior and Insular Affairs in
the Senate, while the identical House bill
has gone to the Committee on Public
Lands. A supplementary, Department of
Justice bill has been referred to the In
terror and Insular Affairs Committee in
in the House. has been sent to the Judi
ciary Committee.
All of the bills of course should have
gone to a single committee and they
should be considered together by Con-
gress anxious to determine settlement of
the questions involved in the best inter-
ests of the country. But the attempt now
Is to concentrate on the measures which
look out for the interests of the few coastal
States. tremendous pressure in behalf
of these bills is being exerted by organized
State attorneys general and Governors,
united on a theory of protecting State
rights" In view of the Supreme Court
decision of last June, this issue of State
rights has little substance.
For the question of the future exploita
ton of oil resources lying under the con-
tinental shelf of the United States and
Alaska, beneath the waters of the marginal
sea area, is not one of State rights. The
court has said where these rights are
lodged. They are rights of cardinal i'm
portance to all the people of the United
States, whose sovereignty over them has
been established.
In quantity, Secretary Krug testified
last week, oil reserves under the ocean may
exceed the known reserves that lie inland
Some day they are going to be tapped.
The whole issue arose over rich deposits
off the California coast, the wells being
operated under lease from the State of
California. But there are indications of
equally valuable sources under the Gulf of
Mexico and off the Alaskan coast. AS the
future availability of oil and its conser-
vation under national policy are OF
supreme Importance to national defense
alone, Congress would not be protecting
the public interest by giving away to few
States what the Supreme Court has de-
cided belongs to all the people of all the
States.
There Is no question but what that is
the intent of many members of Congress
now It was tried once, before the Supreme
Court settled the matter of legal owner
ship The President correctly vetoed the
measure. 1t probably will be tried again
and the President should veto it again.
Congress should act now to develop
for the country as whole the national
resources over which Congress is trustee
for future generations.