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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Role of North Carolina in regulating offshore petroleum development

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6542526

In this report, existing laws which may be applicable to the process of regulating offshore petroleum development are examined. The energy crisis has accelerated federal interest in prompt petroleum exploration in continental shelf areas offshore from Atlantic coastal states. The history of the legal conflict between the federal government and the coastal states in regulating offshore oil exploitation is traced from the beginning to the 1975 Supreme Court decision in U.S. vs. Maine et al., which reaffirmed that the ownership of the sea bed and its contents more than 3 miles from shore remain vested in the federal government and not in the adjacent Atlantic coastal states. Sections of this paper deal with the legal difficulties encountered in determining the seaward and lateral marine boundaries of North Carolina, and with the geological prospects of finding valuable oil deposits in marine areas adjacent to North Carolina. The legal framework--international, federal, and state--within which offshore petroleum development must take place is considered.

Research Organization:
North Carolina Univ., Chapel Hill (USA)
OSTI ID:
6542526
Report Number(s):
UNC-SG-75-09; NOAA-75061002; COM-75108548GA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English