Evening star., 1952-04-07
Needed: A 'TideIonds' COMPROMISE

LeglSlatlvely speaking the Senate and House
are now all tangled up in trying to settle the COM
plicated and long-standing Federal-state con-
troversy over ownership and control of the i'm
mense mineral wealth off our shores in the great
submerged area misnamed the "tidelands"
In its celebrated decisions of 1947 and 1850,
the Supreme Court has ruled that this wealth.
most of it in the form of gas and oil deposits
off Louisiana, Texas and California-belongs to
the Nation as a whole and not merely to the
adjacent States. But the paramount" rights
thus accorded to the Federal Government have
been powerfully challenged in Congress, where
repeated efforts have been made to enact quit
claim" legislation cutting down on those rights
or eliminating them altogether.
Up to now all such efforts have been rem
dered futile by the Presidents veto, but they
nevertheless continue to be made in a never-say-
die spirit. The latest example is the bill passed
the other day by the Senate Under this bill,
the coastal States-meaning particularly Louisi-
ana, Texas and California-would be granted full
title to all the ofshore wealth within their tradi
tional seaward boundaries. These boundaries in
most cases, would be three miles from the coast
line, but for Texas, because of the treaty mark
ing its entry into the Union, the distance would
be 1912 miles out.
This legislation, however, leaves entirely un-
answered the question of title to the resources
beyond the State-owned limits That is one rea-
son why the House has just rejected 1t and sent
back to the Senators substitute measure. The
Substitute-sponsored by Democratic Representa-
tive Walter of Pennsylvania and adopted by the
lower chamber last Summer-includeS the sub
stance of the Senate bill, but contains much
more besides, notably these two provisions: Cd
That the coastal States, If they get the approval
of Congress, may in the future claim control over
&~@l
ward boundaries, and (2) that they shall be en-
titled in any event. to 371a per cent Of all the
royalties and other proceeds from the develop
ment of oil and gas deposits in the undersea area
located beyond those boundaries and recognized
as belonging to the whole Nation.
Presumably, although they are far apart at
the moment, the Senate and House will work
out some sort of compromise between their rival
measures. But If the compromise is anything
like either of those measures. the President will
almost certainly veto 1t, and the probability is
that there will not be enough votes to override.
Mr.. Truman, who has sought interim" legisla-
ton of the type unsuccessfuly advocated by
Senator O'Mahoney, is known to be extremely
allergic to any kind of Federal "quitclaim,"
though conceivably-just conceivably-he might
agree to a drasticaly revised version Of the
Walter bill.
Actually q great deal could be said in favor
of that bill If it firmly delimited the seaward
boundaries instead of leaving them open to
future expansionist claims. Further, and more
Importantly, it would have a much better chance
of escaping veto If it did not entitle small
minority of States to 371z per cent OF all the
revenue from the continental shelf beyond those
boundaries area which Is said to contain the
overwhelming bulk of our offshore wealth and
which seems on it's face to be the property Of the
entire Nation.
Some such Federal-State compromise is GER
tainly needed. without it, the present contro-
versy will drag on and on, and the private COM
panies caught in the cross fire, will continue to
be enjoined from productive operations-a situa-
tion that can benefit nobody.