Evening star., 1952-03-01
'fldeLandG' end the Senate

fiHeIHHus eHH tHe SeHHte
New that the Senate IA about 10 deal with
me seEeRiied tlaelands issHe, the prediction may
safeE be made that the situation will remain
exactly as IA unless RetieH IL taken In aeeeVd
Win eemmenrsense rule Of thumb that has
been summed w In these waFds produce the
eA ana postpone the controversy"
The controversy has been going on ever
since the Supreme Court, In the California case
OF 1897 and the Texas and Louisiana cases of
1850, handed down it's historic decisions atIirm-
ing the Federal Governments "paramount"
rights to the resources Of the submerged coastal
lands beyond the inland waters OF the States,
The debate that has since arisen-much of it
grossly misintormed and cluttered up with ex-
traneous issues-has generated far more heat
than light. Meanwhile, the, Nation has come to
standstill In developing and exploiting its vast
onshore wealth, particularly oil and gas deposits
This is so because the private companies in
volved haye been enjoined, in keeping with the
1s47 and 1850 decisions, from doing anything
productive without the prior approval of the
United States or until firm agreement is
reached upon precise dividing line between
the area of paramount" Federal rights and the
seaward area belonging to the States-an ex-
tremely complex issue that special master of
the Supreme Court has been trying to resolve
for the past four years. Consequently, with all
operations rigidy restricted, our offshore output
Is only minor fraction of what it could be if
the limits were removed. Thus, in the Gulf of
Mexico alone, the present total of 10000 barrels
Of oil a day could be increased to at least 10
times that much within period of three years
or less
In an effort to put an end to this IMPROVE
dent situation, Chairman OMahoney and his
Committee on Interior and msular Affairs have
reported to the Senate in favor of Joint reso-
luton that would establish interim arrangements
ID to permit an immediate resumption of off,
shore developmental operations and (2) to safe
guard at the same time the interests of the
Federal Government, the States and all other
parties concerned, pending the enactment of
permanent legislation Under the proposed ar
rangements the Secretary of the Interior-sub-
Ject to limited State veto power-would
exercise Stopgap leasing authority, and bonus
payments, royalties and other revenues would be
SO handled as to insure their equitable final
disposition by act of Congress
All this adds up to a sensible proposal for
breaking the impasse in which the Nation finds
itself incapable eithet off exploiting its offshore
wealth or settling the argument that has been
raging over that wealth. It is. proposal, more
over, that has the backing not only of the Fed
eral Government and the oil companies, but
also OF numerous officials IN the States directly
affected. True enough, the latter have given it
only grudging support, but If it were modified
In keeping with some of their suggestions -and
if the administration would go along with such
modification everybody concerned could be rea-
sonably happy with an interim compromise that
would protect the interests Of all and succeed
simultaneously in ending production stoppage
that can benefit no one
However, when the Senate takes up the
OMahoney committees proposed resolution,
common sense will not necessarily be the gov
erning factor Wholly apart from the possi-
bility of efforts to attach non-germane amend
ments, some members may seek to substitute
legislation that would have the Federal Govern
ment quitclain certain rights. Properly modified
to give no State an extraordinary special advan-
tage, such legislation has much to be said for it,
but in its past form it has not been able to get
by a justiiable presidential veto, and If it is
pushed in the same form again. it win be vetoed
again.
In these circumstances, if the exploitation
Of our offshore oil is not to remain at standstin
indefinitely, the Senate-with the House follow
ing suit-win have to adopt something very much
like the OMahoney proposal. Otherwise all that
can be expected from our undersea wealth is
continuing controversy and nothing else.