page_title: Offshore oil and gas in the United States
section_title: State ownership
hierarchical_section_title: Offshore oil and gas in the United States / Ownership of offshore oil and gas / State ownership
caption_attribution_description: English: Diagram showing extent of US state and federal ownership of submerged lands
context_page_description: Offshore oil and gas in the United States provides a large portion of the nation’s oil and gas supply. Large oil and gas reservoirs are found under the sea offshore from Louisiana, Texas, California, and Alaska. Environmental concerns have prevented or restricted offshore drilling in some areas, and the issue has been hotly debated at the local and national levels.
context_section_description: Each coastal state owns the territory extending 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) from the shore at mean low tide, and has jurisdiction to decide whether or not, and under what terms, to lease the territory for oil and gas.  Exceptions include Texas and the west coast of Florida, which for historical reasons own the seabed out to 9 nautical miles (16.7 km) from the shore. Louisiana is included in the 3 nautical mile rule, but because it had active offshore leases defined before 1950 (and before most other states), its territory is measured using the Admiralty Nautical Mile, while other states use the International Nautical Mile, adopted by the United States in 1954.
  The exact definition of the shoreline, dividing state waters offshore and potential private land onshore, depends on state law.  Shifting shorelines in the vicinity of oil fields have been a thorny issue.  In the Goose Creek field along the coast in Harris County, Texas, so much oil was produced that the ground elevation sank ten or more feet, putting some privately owned oil-producing lands below sea level.  The state of Texas then declared that the newly submerged land, along with its oil revenue, was state property.
caption: Diagram showing limits of state and federal ownership of the sea bed (Minerals Management Service)
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