The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-10-13
ADMINISTRATION OPENS FIGHT
TO SAVE SUBMERGED OIL LANDS

mlnlSJratlOn, through In e L
Secretary Julius Krug, and Solicit
or General Philip B. Perlman, has
opened a drive in Congress to save
for the people of the United States
the untold" mineral riches in oil
and gas under the submerged lands
off the coasts of continental us.
Both Krug and Perlnaan de-
nounced in the strongest language
attempts by California, Texas.
Louisiana, and the oil interests, to
get legislation giving these valu-
able resources to the States either
directly or indirectly. Such legis-
lation was passed by Congress two
years ago and vetoed by President
Truman. The special interests have
been trying ever since to pass it
over his veto.
Krug told the Senate Interior q
Insular Affairs Committee that he
and the President were strongly
opposed to such legislation be-
cause it would make gift to the
States Of the immensely valuable
rights which the people of all the
United States have in the sub
merged lands and mineral re-
sources of the continental shelves
(the submerged land off the
coasts.) Krug said this opposition
was just as strong to pending mea-
sures to do this by indirection, as
to the original legislation to do it
directly.
Estimating that the land off
Texas and Louisiana contains at
least 13 billion barrels of oil and
the shelf off California about 2
billion, Krug said the total in all
the submerged lands may be 100
billion barrels or four times the
proved reserves now available to
the people Of the United States.
at is unnecessary" Krug said,
"to emphasize the Importance of
the oil reserves in the continental
shelves to the economy and to the
defense of the United States" He
read letter from Secretary John
son, of the Defense Dept, stress
ing the Importance of the reserves
for national defense.
1t was the first time since the
Supreme Courts decision that the
lands belong to the government
that the Administration has had /
chance to present to Congress its
legislation for federal control. The
S0th Congress, and up to this time
the 81st Congress, had failed to
even permit Administration spokes-
men to testify on the legislation
prepared by the Defense, Justice
and Interior Departments. Instead
Congressional committees had de-
voted their full attention to a wide
range of special interest bills Civ
ing the submerged lands away by
one method or another.
Perlman used even stronger
language than Krug in denouncing
the special interest bills. He said
their enactment would be "the
height of inprudence and folly"
and added that the proposal to
make the government, which the
Supreme Court says owns the
lands, buy them back from the
States for defense purposes was
nothing less than outrageous" i
The Solicitor General estimated
the value of the disputed lands at
billions of dollars, adding that out
side of their monetary value they
may be needed to preserve the very
existence of our form of govern
ment."
Both officials testified in favor
of Administration bills to put con-
troll of the submerged lands under
the federal government and cede
to the states control of the tide
lands (between high and low tides)
and those areas developed for har-
Dor purposes.
"To enact a measure completely
all rights of the people
Of the United States to those re-
sources, both known and unknown
to write in effect a blank check
be, in our opinion, the
height of imprudence and folly"
porl,,,op tasti6