Federal programs are underway for investigating sources of gold, 

 silver, platinum, and tin in placer deposits along the Pacific and 

 Alaskan coasts. 



New mining teclmology may be required as these programs move 

 ahead, with unusual opportunities for invention and innovation. 



A stable legal framework must go hand-in-hand with technology to 

 reflect a judicious balance of public and private interests in order 

 that industry can extend the present geographical boundaries of the 

 exploitable resources. The Council is working with the Departments 

 of Interior, State, and Justice, the Public Land Law Review Com- 

 mission, and other concerned organizations in supporting legal studies 

 to identify alternative Federal policies and consequences of each. 



In looking to the future, the Council identified as an area for special 

 emphasis the acceleration of Government-wide planning, surveys, and 

 survey methodology designed to assist the extractive industries on the 

 shelf. Included in this expanded effort to assess mineral resources 

 will be: 



— expansion of marine science activities of the Geological Survey; 



— extension of technological studies of the Bureau of Mines ; 



— use of Coast and Geodetic Survey ships and other federally sup- 

 ported ships to conduct pilot surveys of promising areas ; 



— automation of the data processing capability of these ships ; 



— economic analyses of identified deposits. 



Fiscal year 1968 efforts will be devoted primarily to planning the 

 expanded effort and to initial work in limited areas of the shelf. In- 

 tensive pilot investigations of limited areas should provide useful 

 experience in planning investigations of broader areas of the shelf. 



80 



