An Act to amend the Submerged Lands Act
PL 83-212 (H.R.5134), enacted 08/07/1953

462 
PUBLIC LAW 212-AUG. 7, 1953 
[67 ST A T . 
August 7, 1953 
[H. R. 5134] 
Public Law 212 
CHAPTER 345 
AN ACT 
To provide for the jurisdiction of the United States over the submerged lands 
of the outer Continental Shelf, and to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 
to lease such lands for certain purposes. 
Outer Continen-
t a l Shelf L a n d s 
Act. 
Ante, p. 29. 
State laws. 
P u b l i c ation of 
p r o j e c t e d State 
lines. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may 
be cited as the "Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act", 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.—When used in this Act— 
(a) The term "outer Continental Shelf" means all submerged lands 
lying seaward and outside of the area of lands beneath navigable 
waters as defined in section 2 of the Submerged Lands Act (Public 
Law 31, Eighty-third Congress, first session), and of which the sub-
soil and seabed appertain to the United States and are subject to its 
jurisdiction and control; 
(b) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Interior; 
(c) The term "mineral lease" means any form of authorization for 
the exploration for, or development or removal of deposits of, oil, 
gas, or other minerals; and 
(d) The term "person" includes, in addition to a natural person, an 
association, a State, a political subdivision of a State, or a private, 
public, or municipal corporation. 
SEC. 3. JURISDICTION OVER OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.— (a) It is 
hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that the subsoil 
and seabed of the outer Continental Shelf appertain to the United 
States and are subject to its jurisdiction, control, and power of 
disposition as provided in this Act. 
(b) This Act shall be construed in such manner that the character as 
high seas of the w^aters above the outer Continental Shelf and the right 
to navigation and fishing therein shall not be affected. 
SEC. 4. LAWS APPLICABLE TO OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.—(a) 
(1) 
The Constitution and laws and civil and political jurisdiction of the 
United States are hereby extended to the subsoil and seabed of the 
outer Continental Shelf and to all artificial islands and fixed structures 
which may be erected thereon for the purpose of exploring for, devel-
oping, removing, and transporting resources therefrom, to the same 
extent as if the outer Continental Shelf were an area of exclusive 
Federal jurisdiction located within a State: Provided, however, That 
mineral leases on the outer Continental Shelf shall be maintained or 
issued only under the provisions of this Act. 
(2) To the extent that they are applicable and not inconsistent with 
this Act or with other Federal laws and regulations of the Secretary 
now^ in effect or hereafter adopted, the civil and criminal laws of each 
adjacent State as of the effective date of this Act are hereby declared 
to be the law of the United States for that portion of the subsoil and 
seabed of the outer Continental Shelf, and artificial islands and fixed 
structures erected thereon, which would be within the area of the 
State if its boundaries w^ere extended seaward to the outer margin 
of the outer Continental Shelf, and the President shall determine and 
publish in the Federal Register such projected lines extending seaward 
and defining each such area. All of such applicable law^s shall be 
administered and enforced by the appropriate officers and courts of 
the United States. State taxation laws shall not apply to the outer 
Continental Shelf. 
(3) The provisions of this section for adoption of State law as the 
law of the United States shall never be interpreted as a basis for 
claiming any interest in or jurisdiction on behalf of any State for any 
67 S T A T . ] 
PUBUC LAW 212-AUG. 7, 1953 
463 
purpose over the seabed and subsoil of the outer Continental Shelf, or 
the property and natural resources thereof or the revenues therefrom. 
(b) The United States district courts shall have original jurisdic-
tion of cases and controversies arising out of or in connection with any 
operations conducted on the outer Continental Shelf for the purpose 
of exploring for, developing, removing or transporting by pipeline the 
natural resources, or involving rights to the natural resources of the 
subsoil and seabed of the outer Continental Shelf, and proceedings 
with respect to any such case or controversy may be instituted in the 
judicial district in which any defendant resides or may be found, or 
in the judicial district of the adjacent State nearest the place where 
the cause of action arose, 
(c) With respect to disability or death of an employee resulting 
from any injury occurring as the result of operations described in 
subsection (b), compensation shall be payable under the provisions of 
the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. 
For 
the purposes of the extension of the provisions of the Longshoremen's 
and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act under this section— 
(1) the term "employee" does not include a master or member 
of a crew of any vessel, or an officer or employee of the United 
States or any agency thereof or of any State or foreign govern-
ment, or of any political subdivision thereof; 
(2) the term "employer" means an employer any of whose 
employees are employed in such operations; and 
(3) the term "United States" when used in a geographical 
sense includes the outer Continental Shelf and artificial islands 
and fixed structures thereon. 
(d) For the purposes of the National Labor Relations Act, as 
amended, any unfair labor practice, as defined in such Act, occurring 
upon any artificial island or fixed structure referred to in subsection 
(a) shall be deemed to have occurred within the judicial district of 
the adjacent State nearest the place of location of such island or 
structure. 
(e) (1) The head of the Department in which the Coast Guard is 
operating shall have authority to promulgate and enforce such reason-
able regulations with respect to lights and other warning devices, 
safety equipment, and other matters relating to the promotion of 
safety of life and property on the islands and structures referred to 
in subsection (a) or on the waters adjacent thereto, as he may deem 
necessary. 
(2) The head of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operat-
ing may mark for the protection of navigation any such island or 
structure whenever the owner has failed suitably to mark the same 
in accordance with regulations issued hereunder, and the owner shall 
pay the cost thereof. Any person, firm, company, or,corporation who 
shall fail or refuse to obey any of the lawful rules and regulations 
issued hereunder shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined 
not more than $100 for each offense. 
Each day during which such 
violation shall continue shall be considered a new offense. 
(f) The authority of the Secretary of the Army to prevent obstruc-
tion to navigation in the navigable waters of the United States is here-
by extended to artificial islands and fixed structures located on the 
outer Continental Shelf. 
(g) The specific application by this section of certain provisions of 
law to the subsoil and seabed of the outer Continental Shelf and the 
artificial islands and fixed structures referred to in subsection (a) or to 
acts or offenses occurring or committed thereon shall not give rise 
to any inference that the application to such islands and structures, 
acts, or offenses of any other provision of law is not intended. 
J u r 1 sdiction of 
U . S . 
d i s t r i c t 
courts. 
W o r k e r ' s cortt' 
pensation. 
44 Stat. 1424. 
33 u s e 901. 
61 Stat. 136. 
29 u s e 167. 
C o a s t 
G u a r d 
regulations, etc. 
Penalty. 
A r t i f i c i a l 
is-
lands, etc. 
464 
PUBLIC LAW 212-AUG. 7, 1953 
[67 ST A T . 
P r e v e n t i o n of 
waste. 
Cooperation with 
State conservation 
agencies. 
Penalty. 
Cancellation 
lease. 
of 
Pipeline 
of»way. 
rights-
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION OF LEASING OF THE OUTER CONTINENTAL 
SHELF.—(a) (1) The Secretary shall administer the provisions of this 
Act relating to the leasing of the outer Continental Shelf, and shall 
prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out 
such provisions. 
The Secretary may at any time prescribe and amend 
such rules and regulations as he determines to be necessary and proper 
in order to provide for the prevention of waste and conservation of 
the natural resources of the outer Continental Shelf, and the protection 
of correlative rights therein, and, notwithstanding any other provi-
sions herein, such rules and regulations shall apply to all operations 
conducted under a lease issued or maintained under the provisions of 
this Act. 
In the enforcement of conservation laws, rules, and regula-
tions the Secretary is authorized to cooperate with the conservation 
agencies of the adjacent States. Without limiting the generality of 
the foregoing provisions of this section, the rules and regulations 
prescribed by the Secretary thereunder may provide for the assign-
ment or relinquishment of leases, for the sale of royalty oil and gas 
accruing or reserved to the United States at not less than market value, 
and, in the interest of conservation, for unitization, pooling, drilling 
agreements, suspension of operations or production, reduction of 
rentals or royalties, compensatory royalty agreements, subsurface 
storage of oil or gas in any of said submerged lands, and drilling or 
other easements necessary for operations or production. 
(2) Any person who knowingly and willfully violates any rule or 
regulation prescribed by the Secretary for the prevention of waste, 
the conservation of the natural resources, or the protection of correla-
tive rights shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and punishable 
by a fine of not more than $2,000 or by imprisonment for not more 
than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, and each day 
of violation shall be deemed to be a separate offense. 
The issuance 
and continuance in effect of any lease, or of any extension, renewal, 
or replacement of any lease under the provisions of this Act shall be 
conditioned upon compliance with the regulations issued under this 
Act and in force and effect on the date of the issuance of the lease if 
the lease is issued under the provisions of section 8 hereof, or with the 
regulations issued under the provisions of section 6 (b), clause (2), 
hereof if the lease is maintained under the provisions of section 6 
hereof. 
(b) (1) Whenever the owner of a nonproducing lease fails to comply 
with any of the provisions of this Act, or of the lease, or of the regula-
tions issued under this Act and in force and effect on the date of the 
issuance of the lease if the lease is issued under the provisions of section 
8 hereof, or of the regulations issued under the provisions of section 
6 (b), clause (2), hereof, if the lease is maintained under the pro-
visions of section 6 hereof, such lease may be canceled by the Secretary, 
subject to the right of judicial review as provided in section 8 (j), if 
such default continues for the period of thirty days after mailing of 
notice by registered letter to the lease owner at his record post office 
address. 
(2) Whenever the owner of any producing lease fails to comply 
with any of the provisions of this Act, or of the lease, or of the regu-
lations issued under this Act and in force and effect on the date of the 
issuance of the lease if the lease is issued under the provisions of 
section 8 hereof, or of the regulations issued under the provisions of 
section 6 (b), clause (2), hereof, if the lease is maintained under the 
provisions of section 6 hereof, such lease may be forfeited and can-
celed by an appropriate proceeding in any United States district court 
havingjurisdiction under the provisions of section 4 (b) of this Act. 
(c) Rights-of-way through the submerged lands of the outer Con-
67 S T A T . } 
PUBLIC LAW 212-AUG. 7, 1953 
465 
tinental Shelf, whether or not such lands are included in a lease main-
tained or issued pursuant to this Act, may be granted by the Secretary 
for pipeline purposes for the transportation of oil, natural gas, sul-
phur, or other mineral under such regulations and upon such condi-
tions as to the application therefor and the survey, location and 
width thereof as may be prescribed by the Secretary, and upon the 
express condition that such oil or gas pipelines shall transport or pur-
chase without discrimination, oil or natural gas produced from said 
submerged lands in the vicinity of the pipeline in such proportionate 
amounts as the Federal Power Commission, in the case of gas, and the 
Interstate Commerce Commission, in the case of oil, may, after a full 
hearing with due notice thereof to the interested parties, determine to 
be reasonable, taking into account, among other things, conservation 
and the prevention of waste. Failure to comply with the provisions 
of this section or the regulations and conditions prescribed thereunder 
shall be ground for forfeiture of the grant in an appropriate judicial 
proceeding instituted by the United States in any United States dis-
trict court having jurisdiction under the provisions of section 4 (b) 
of this Act. 
SEC. 6. MAINTENANCE OF LEASES ON OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.— 
(a) The provisions of this section shall apply to any mineral lease 
covering submerged lands of the outer Continental Shelf issued by any 
State (including any extension, renewal, or replacement thereof here-
tofore granted pursuant to such lease or under the laws of such State) 
if— 
(1) such lease, or a true copy thereof, is filed with the Secretary 
by the lessee or his duly authorized agent within ninety days from 
the effective date of this Act, or within such further period or 
periods as provided in section 7 hereof or as may be fixed from 
time to time by the Secretary; 
(2) such lease was issued prior to December 21,1948, and would 
have been on June 5,1950, in force and effect in accordance with its 
terms and provisions and the law of the State issuing it had the 
State had authority to issue such lease; 
(3) there is filed with the Secretary, within the period or periods 
specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection, (A) a certificate 
issued by the State official or agency having jurisdiction over such 
lease stating that it would have been in force and effect as required 
by the provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection, or (B) in 
the absence of such certificate, evidence in the form of affidavits, 
receipts, canceled checks, or other documents that may be required 
by the Secretary, sufficient to prove that such lease would have 
been so in force and effect; 
(4) except as otherwise provided in section 7 hereof, all rents, 
royalties, and other sums payable under such lease between June 5, 
1950, and the effective date of this Act, which have not been paid 
in accordance with the provisions thereof, or to the Secretary or to 
the Secretary of the Navy, are paid to the Secretary within the 
period or periods specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection, 
and all rents, royalties, and other sums payable under such lease 
after the effective date of this Act, are paid to the Secretary, who 
shall deposit such payments in the Treasury in accordance with 
section 9 of this Act; 
(5) the holder of such lease certifies that such lease shall con-
tinue to be subject to the overriding royalty obligations existing 
on the effective date of this Act; 
(6) such lease was not obtained by fraud or misrepresentation; 
(7) such lease, if issued on or after June 23, 1947, was issued 
upon the basis of competitive bidding; 
F o r f e i t u r e 
of 
grant. 
Filing of lease. 
Sums payable. 
466 
PUBLIC LAW 212-AUG. 7, 1953 
[67 S T A T . 
Royalty. 
T ermlnation of 
lease. 
Surety bond. 
M a i n tenance of 
lease. 
Sulphur. 
(8) such lease provides for a royalty to the lessor on oil and gas 
of not less than 121/^ per centum and on sulphur of not less than 
5 per centum in amount or value of the production saved, removed, 
or sold from the lease, or, in any case in which the lease provides 
for a lesser royalty, the holder thereof consents in writing, filed 
with the Secretary, to the increase of the royalty to the minimum 
herein specified; 
(9) the holder thereof pays to the Secretary within the period 
or periods specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection an 
amount equivalent to any severance, gross production, or occu-
pation taxes imposed by the State issuing the lease on the produc-
tion from the lease, less the State's royalty interest in such 
production, between June 5, 1950, and the effective date of this 
Act and not heretofore paid to the State, and thereafter pays to 
the Secretary as an additional royalty on the production from the 
lease, less the United States' royalty interest in such production, a 
sum of money equal to the amount of the severance, gross produc-
tion, or occupation taxes which would have been payable on such 
production to the State issuing the lease under its laws as they 
existed on the effective date of this Act; 
(10) such lease will terminate within a period of not more 
than five years from the effective date of this Act in the absence 
of production or operations for drilling, or, in any case in which 
the lease provides for a longer period, the holder thereof consents 
in writing, filed with the Secretary, to the reduction of such period 
so that it will not exceed the maximum period herein specified; 
and 
(11) the holder of such lease furnishes such surety bond, if 
any, as the Secretary may require and complies with such other 
reasonable requirements as the Secretary may deem necessary to 
protect the interests of the United States. 
(b) Any person holding a mineral lease, which as determined by 
the Secretary meets the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, 
may continue to maintain such lease, and may conduct operations 
thereunder, in accordance with (1) its provisions as to the area, the 
minerals covered, rentals and, subject to the provisions of paragraphs 
(8), (9) and (10) of subsection (a) of this section, as to royalties and 
as to the term thereof and of any extensions, renewals, or replacements 
authorized therein or heretofore authorized by the laws of the State 
issuing such lease, or, if oil or gas was not being produced in paying 
quantities from such lease on or before December 11, 1950, or if pro-
duction in paying quantities has ceased since June 5, 1950, or if the 
primary term of such lease has expired since December 11, 1950, then 
for a term from the effective date hereof equal to the term remaining 
unexpired on December 11, 1950, under the provisions of such lease 
or any extensions, renewals, or replacements authorized therein, or 
heretofore authorized by the laws of such State, and (2) such regula-
tions as the Secretary may under section 5 of this Act prescribe within 
ninety days after making his determination that such lease meets the 
requirements of subsection (a) of this section: Provided^ 
however. 
That any rights to sulphur under any lease maintained under the pro-
visions of this subsection shall not extend beyond the primary term 
of such lease or any extension thereof under the provisions of such 
subsection (b) unless sulphur is being produced in paying quantities 
or drilling, well reworking, plant construction, or other operations 
for the production of sulphur, as approved by the Secretary, are being 
conducted on the area covered by such lease on the date of expiration 
of such primary term or extension: Provided further^ That if sulphur 
is being produced in paying quantities on such date, then such rights 
67 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 2 1 2 - A U G . 7, 1953 
467 
shall continue to be maintained in accordance with such lease and the 
provisions of this Act: Provided further^ That, if the primary term of 
a lease being maintained under subsection (b) hereof has expired prior 
to the effective date of this Act and oil or gas is being produced in pay-
ing quantities on such date, then such rights to sulphur as the lessee 
may have under such lease shall continue for twenty-four months from 
the effective date of this Act and as long thereafter as sulphur is pro-
duced in paying quantities, or drilling, well working, plant construc-
tion, or other operations for the production of sulphur, as approved 
by the Secretary, are being conducted on the area covered by the lease, 
(c) The permission granted in subsection (b) of this section shall u.^s!"ilimJ.*' °' 
not be construed to be a waiver of such claims, if any, as the United 
States may have against the lessor or the lessee or any other person 
respecting sums payable or paid for or under the lease, or respecting 
activities conducted under the lease, prior to the effective date of this 
Act. 
(d) Any person complaining of a negative determination by the ^^^^^^J^o^ °^ 
Secretary of the Interior under this section may have such determina-
tion reviewed by the United States District Court for the District of 
Columbia by filing a petition for review within sixty days after receiv-
ing notice of such action by the Secretary. 
(e) In the event any lease maintained under this section covers lands 
^f "M* bene^ath 
beneath navigable waters, as that term is used in the Submerged Lands "^^ ^^ * "^^ *'** 
Act, as well as lands of the outer Continental Shelf, the provisions of 
this section shall apply to such lease only insofar as it covers lands of 
the outer Continental Shelf. 
SEC. 7. CONTROVERSY OVER JURISDICTION.—In the event of a contro- st^t?**"*"*' "^^^ 
versy between the United States and a State as to whether or not 
lands are subject to the provisions of this Act, the Secretary is author-
ized, notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of 
section 6 of this Act, and with the concurrence of the Attorney Gen-
eral of the United States, to negotiate and enter into agreements with 
the State, its political subdivision or grantee or a lessee thereof, 
respecting operations under existing mineral leases and payment and 
impounding of rents, royalties, and other sums payable thereunder, or 
with the State, its political subdivision or grantee, respecting the issu-
ance or nonissuance of new mineral leases pending the settlement or 
adjudication of the controversy. The authorization contained in the 
preceding sentence of this section shall not be construed to be a limi-
tation upon the authority conferred on the Secretary in other sections 
of this Act. Payments made pursuant to such agreement, or pursu-
ant to any stipulation between the United States and a State, shall be 
considered as compliance with section 6 (a) (4) hereof. Upon the 
termination of such agreement or stipulation by reason of the final 
settlement or adjudication of such controversy, if the lands subject 
to any mineral lease are determined to be in whole or in part lands 
subject to the provisions of this Act, the lessee, if he has not already 
done so, shall comply with the requirements of section 6 (a), and 
thereupon the provisions of section 6 (b) shall govern such lease. 
The notice concerning "Oil and Gas Operations in the Submerged 
Coastal Lands of the Gulf of Mexico" issued by the Secretary on 
December 11, 1950 (15 F. R. 8835), as amended by the notice dated 
January 26, 1951 (16 F. R. 953), and as supplemented by the notices 
dated February 2,1951 (16 F. R. 1203), March 5,1951 (16 F. R. 2195), 
April 23, 1961 (16 F. R. 3623), June 25,1951 (16 F. R. 6404), August 
22, 1951 (16 F. R. 8720), October 24, 1951 (16 F. R. 10998), December 
21, 1951 (17 F. R. 43), March 25, 1952 (17 F. R. 2821), June 26, 1952 
(17 F. R. 5833), and December 24, 1952 (18 F. R. 48), respectively, is 
hereby approved and confirmed. 
468 
PUBLIC LAW 212-AUG. 7, 1953 
[67 ST A T . 
Bids. 
O i l 
a n d 
leases. 
Sulphur leases. 
Other 
leases. m i n e r al 
Notices, p u b l i -
cation. 
Deposits. 
SEC. 8. LEASING OF OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.—(a) In order to 
meet the urgent need for further exploration and development of the 
oil and gas deposits of the submerged lands of the outer Continental 
Shelf, the Secretary is authorized to grant to the highest responsible 
qualified bidder by competitive bidding under regulations promulgated 
in advance, oil and gas leases on submerged lands of the outer Conti-
nental Shelf which are not covered by leases meeting the requirements 
of subsection (a) of section 6 of this Act. The bidding shall be (1) 
by sealed bids, and (2) at the discretion of the Secretary, on the basis 
of a cash bonus with a royalty fixed by the Secretary at not less than 
12y2 per centum in amount or value of the production saved, removed 
or sold, or on the basis of royalty, but at not less than the per centum 
above mentioned, with a cash bonus fixed by the Secretary. 
(b) An oil and gas lease issued by the Secretary pursuant to this 
section shall (1) cover a compact area not exceeding five thousand 
seven hundred and sixty acres, as the Secretary may determine, (2) 
be for a period of five years and as long thereafter as oil or gas may be 
produced from the area in paying quantities, or drilling or well re-
working operations as approved by the Secretary are conducted 
thereon, (3) require the payment of a royalty of not less than 121/2 
per centum, in the amount or value of the production saved, removed, 
or sold from the lease, and (4) contain such rental provisions and such 
other terms and provisions as the Secretary may prescribe at the time 
of offering the area for lease. 
(c) In order to meet the urgent need for further exploration and 
development of the sulphur deposits in the submerged lands of the 
outer Continental Shelf, the Secretary is authorized to grant to the 
qualified persons offering the highest cash bonuses on a basis of com-
petitive bidding sulphur leases on submerged lands of the outer Con-
tinental Shelf, which are not covered by leases which include sulphur 
and meet the requirements of subsection (a) of section 6 of this Act, 
and which sulphur leases shall be offered for bid by sealed bids and 
granted on separate leases from oil and gas leases, and for a separate 
consideration, and without priority or preference accorded to oil and 
gas lessees on the same area. 
(d) A sulphur lease issued by the Secretary pursuant to this section 
shall (1) cover an area of such size and dimensions as the Secretary 
may determine, (2) be for a period of not more than ten years and so 
long thereafter as sulphur may be produced from the area in paying 
quantities or drilling, well reworking, plant construction, or other 
operations for the production of sulphur, as approved by the Secre-
tary, are conducted thereon, (3) require the payment to the United 
States of such royalty as may be specified in the lease but not less than 
5 per centum of the gross production or value of the sulphur at the 
wellhead, and (4) contain such rental provisions and such other terms 
and provisions as the Secretary may by regulation prescribe at the 
time of offering the area for lease. 
(e) The Secretary is authorized to grant to the qualified persons 
offering the highest cash bonuses on a basis of competitive bidding 
leases of any mineral other than oil, gas, and sulphur in any area of the 
outer Continental Shelf not then under lease for such mineral upon 
such royalty, rental, and other terms and conditions as the Secretary 
may prescribe at the time of offering the area for lease. 
(f) Notice of sale of leases, and the terms of bidding, authorized 
by this section shall be published at least thirty days before the date 
of sale in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the 
Secretary. 
(g) All moneys paid to the Secretary for or under leases granted 
pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Treasury in accord-
ance with section 9 of this Act. 
67 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 2 1 2 - A U G . 7, 1953 
469 
(h) The issuance of any lease by the Secretary pursuant to this 
Act, or the making of any interim arrangements by the Secretary 
pursuant to section 7 of this Act shall not prejudice the ultimate settle-
ment or adjudication of the question as to whether or not the area 
involved is in the outer Continental Shelf. 
(i) The Secretary may cancel any lease obtained by fraud or mis- 
cancellation, 
representation. 
(j) Any person complaining of a cancellation of a lease by the 
Secretary may have the Secretary's action reviewed in the United 
States District Court for the District of Columbia by filing a petition 
for review within sixty days after the Secretary takes such action. 
SEC. 9. DISPOSITION OF REVENUES.—All rentals, royalties, and other 
sums paid to the Secretary or the Secretary of the Navy under any 
lease on the outer Continental Shelf for the period from June 5, 1950, 
to date, and thereafter shall be deposited in the Treasury of the 
United States and credited to miscellaneous receipts. 
SEC. 10. REFUNDS.—(a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) 
hereof, when it appears to the satisfaction of the Secretary that any 
person has made a payment to the United States in connection with 
any lease under this Act in excess of the amount he was lawfully 
required to pay, such excess shall be repaid without interest to such 
person or his legal representative, if a request for repayment of such 
excess is filed with the Secretary within two years after the making 
of the payment, or within ninety days after the effective date of this 
Act. The Secretary shall certify the amounts of all such repayments 
to the Secretary of the Treasury, who is authorized and directed to 
make such repayments out of any moneys in the special account estab-
lished under section 9 of this Act and to issue his warrant in settle-
ment thereof. 
(b) No refund of or credit for such excess payment shall be made 
Report to con-
until after the expiration of thirty days from the date upon which a ^®^'* 
report giving the name of the person to whom the refund or credit is 
to be made, the amount of such refund or credit, and a summary of the 
facts upon which the determination of the Secretary was made is sub-
mitted to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives for transmittal to the appropriate legislative commit-
tee of each body, respectively: Provided^ That if the Congress shall 
not be in session on the date of such submission or shall adjourn prior 
to the expiration of thirty days from the date of such submission, then 
such payment or credit shall not be made until thirty days after the 
opening day of the next succeeding session of Congress. 
SEC. 11. GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL EXPLORATIONS.—Any agency 
of the United States and any person authorized by the Secretary may 
conduct geological and geophysical explorations in the outer Conti-
nental Shelf, which do not interfere with or endanger actual opera-
tions under any lease maintained or granted pursuant to this Act, and 
which are not unduly harmful to aquatic life in such area. 
SEC. 12. RESERVATIONS.—(a) The President of the United States 
may, from time to time, withdraw from disposition any of the un-
leased lands of the outer Continental Shelf. 
(b) In time of war, or when the President shall so prescribe, the 
war. 
United States shall have the right of first refusal to purchase at the 
market price all or any portion of any mineral produced from the 
outer Continental Shelf. 
(c) All leases issued under this Act, and leases, the maintenance and 
operation of which are authorized under this Act, shall contain or be 
470 
PUBLIC LAW 212-AUG. 7, 1953 
[67 ST A T . 
National def ens e 
areas. 
Uranium, t h o r 1* 
um, etc. 
60 Stat. 760 
42 u s e 1805. 
Helium. 
18 F . R. 405. 
construed to contain a provision whereby authority is vested in the 
Secretary, upon a recommendation of tiie Secretary of Defense, dur-
ing a state of war or national emergency declared by the Congress or 
the President of the United States after the effective date of this Act, 
to suspend operations under any lease; and all such leases shall con-
tain or be construed to contain provisions for the payment of just 
compensation to the lessee whose operations are thus suspended. 
(d) The United States reserves and retains the right to designate by 
and through the Secretary of Defense, with the approval of the 
President, as areas restricted from exploration and operation that part 
of the outer Continental Shelf needed for national defense; and so long 
as such designation remains in effect no exploration or operations may 
be conducted on any part of the surface of such area except with the 
concurrence of the Secretary of Defense; and if operations or produc-
tion under any lease theretofore issued on lands within any such re-
stricted area shall be suspended, any payment of rentals, minimum 
royalty, and royalty prescribed by such lease likewise shall be sus-
pended during such period of suspension of operation and production, 
and the term of such lease shall be extended by adding thereto any such 
suspension period, and the United States shall be liable to the lessee 
for such compensation as is required to be paid under the Constitution 
of the United States. 
(e) All uranium, thorium, and all other materials determined pur-
suant to paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of section 5 of the Atomic 
Energy Act of 1946, as amended, to be peculiarly essential to the 
production of fissionable material, contained, in whatever concentra-
tion, in deposits in the subsoil or seabed of the outer Continental Shelf 
are hereby reserved for the use of the United States. 
(f) The United States reserves and retains the ownership of and the 
right to extract all helium, under such rules and regulations as shall be 
prescribed by the Secretary, contained in gas produced from any por-
tion of the outer Continental Shelf which may be subject to any lease 
maintained or granted pursuant to this Act, but the helium shall be 
extracted from such gas so as to cause no substantial delay in the 
delivery of gas produced to the purchaser of such gas. 
SEC. 13. NAVAL PETROLEUM RESERVE EXECUTIVE ORDER REPEALED.— 
Executive Order Numbered 10426, dated January 16, 1953, entitled 
"Setting Aside Submerged Lands of the Continental Shelf as a Naval 
Petroleum Reserve", is hereby revoked. 
SEC. 14. PRIOR CLAIMS NOT AFFECTED.—Nothing herein contained 
shall affect such rights, if any, as may have been acquired under any 
law of the United States by any person in lands subject to this Act 
and such rights, if any, shall be governed by the law in effect at the 
time they may have been acquired: Provided^ hoivever^ That nothing 
herein contained is intended or shall be construed as a finding, inter-
pretation, or construction by the Congress that the law under which 
such rights may be claimed m fact applies to the lands subject to this 
Act or authorizes or compels the granting of such rights in such lands, 
and that the determination of the applicability or effect of such law 
shall be unaffected by anything herein contained. 
SEC. 15. REPORT BY SECRETARY.—As soon as practicable after the 
end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit to the President of 
the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report 
detailing the amounts of all moneys received and expended in connec-
tion with the administration of this Act during the preceding fiscal 
year. 
67 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 214-AUG. 7, 1953 
4T1 
SEO. 16. APPROPRIATIONS.—There is hereby 'authorized to be appro-
priated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of 
this Act. 
SEC. 17. SEPARABILITT.—If any provision of this Act, or any section, 
subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or individual word, or the appli-
cation thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the 
validity of the remainder of the Act and of the application of any such 
provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or individual 
word to other persons and circumstances shall not be affected thereby. 
Approved August 7, 1953. 
Public Law 213 
CHAPTER 346 
AN ACT 
To extend the time for exemption from income taxes for certain members of the 
Armed Forces, and for other purposes. 
August 7, 1953 
[H. R. 4152] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assenihled, That section 22 (b) 
(13) of the Internal Revenue Code (relating to exclusion from gross 
income of compensation of certain members of the Armed Forces) is 
hereby amended by striking out "January 1,1954" wherever it appears 
therein and inserting in lieu thereof "January 1, 1955". 
SEC. 2. Section 1621 (a) (1) of the Internal Revenue Code (relating 
to definition of the term "wages") is hereby amended by striking out 
"January 1,1954" and inserting in lieu thereof "January 1,1955". 
SEC. 3. (a) That the third sentence of section 25 (b) (3) of the 
Internal Revenue Code, relating to the definition of dependent, is 
amended to read as follows: "For the purposes of determining w^hether 
any of the foregoing relationships exist (1) a legally adopted child of 
a person or (2) a child for which petition for adoption was filed by a 
person in the appropriate court and denied because of mental inca-
pacity of surviving natural parent to agree to such adoption, shall be 
considered a child of such person by blood." 
(b) The provisions of subsection (a) shall be applicable to taxable 
years beginning after December 31, 1945. 
Approved August 7, 1953. 
59 Stat. 5 71; 65 
Stat. 484. 
26 u s e 22. 
65 Stat. 484. 
26 u s e 1621. 
"Dependent.' 
58 Stat. 238. 
26 u s e 25. 
Applicability. 
Public Law 214 
CHAPTER 347 
AN ACT 
To authorize the loan of two submarines to the Goyernment of Turkey. 
August 7, 1953 
[S.2539] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled^ That the President 
is authorized to lend to the Government of Turkey for a period of not 
more than five years, two submarines. The President shall, prior to 
the delivery of the submarines to the Government of Turkey, conclude 
an agreement with the Government providing for the return of the 
submarines in accordance with the provisions of this Act and in 
substantially the same condition as when loaned. 
All expenses 
involved in the activation of the submarines including repairs, altera-
tions, outfitting, and logistic support shall be charged to funds pro-
gramed for the Turkish Government under the Mutual Security Act. 
Approved August 7, 1953. 
Turkey. 
L o an of 
marines. 
s ub» 
65 Stat. 373. 
22 u s e 
1 6 5 1 
note.