70 feet (Gulf of Alaska) and sea ice flows with great force (all areas 



north of St. George Basin). Federal regulations have not been vigilant 



or timely enough to suit Alaskans who want to see OCS operating orders 



strengthened and safety provisions provided within the leasing agreements. 



Many state officials want technology problems ironed out prior to leasing 



while Federal officials see plenty of time after leasing has occurred. 



Alaska also wants a greater role in the leasing program. The 



state's role has been limited to reviewing environmental impact statements 



and advising Federal agencies on the wisdom of pre-leasing policies and 



actions. Under the provisions of the 1953 OCS Lands Act, the state has 



no real authority prior to leasing. A case in point was the bitter 



state-Federal dispute over the northern Gulf of Alaska sale where 



Interior Secretary Kleppe held the 1.1 million acre lease sale over the 



strong objections of the State. It is not surprising, therefore, that 



Alaska (along with most coastal states) advocates amending the 1953 OCS 



Lands Act to give it some authority prior to leasing. 



Ultimately, though, much of the state's dissatisfaction with the 



Federal OCS program can be traced to its monetary arrangements. Alaska 



is resentful at not receiving any royalties or bonuses from OCS leases 



while at the same time having to finance many of the public services to 



support such operations. Not surpisingly, the state strongly supported 



the revenue-sharing provisions of the recently enacted Coastal Zone 



Management Act Amendments. The state views these monies as critical to 



their managing OCS impacts as considerable sums of money will be needed 



to help finance public services and infrastructure, to conduct environmental 



and planning studies, and to hire the requisite planning and management 



expertise. 



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