region, evaluates (jcononiic pressures, and relates lh(;s(! factors to prj;- 

 dicted water utilization. 



NONLIVING RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT 



Studies to advance the development of nonliving ocean r(!sources 

 have grappled with problems brought about by the changing law of the 

 sea. technological developments, and requirements for the managc^ment 

 and exploitation of ocean resources. In one of these studi(!s. two scien- 

 tists, three engineers, a marine biologist, and a lawyer have set out to 

 assess Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas operations. They first 

 examined the development of OCS oil and gas resources and how- 

 Federal policies are currently set. Then, they studied the adequacy of 

 present technology, the quality of environmental control, government 

 management, and the question of Federal and State jurisdictions. They 

 offered recommendations directed toward achieving the following 

 goals: To get the most out of Continental Shelf oil and gas reserves: to 

 ensure equitable government management of the development process: 

 and to maintain the quality of the ocean environment as exploitation 

 takes place. 



Legal issues involved in ocean thermal energy conversion schemes 

 are the subject of a current study by the American Society of Interna- 

 tional Law. Researchers plan to identify problems in at least five main 

 areas. These areas include: Rights to place energy conversion installa- 

 tions in the oceans; rights to remove thermal energy resources from the 

 oceans: responsibility and liability for the consequences of running ther- 

 mal energy systems conversion: and the legal status of operators and in- 

 stallations. The context for examining these questions will be the 

 engineering features of the conversion mechanisms, the likely effects on 

 the marine environment, and the probable location of these installations. 

 Earlier societal studies have analyzed the legal, economic, and political 

 aspects of international fisheries management and protection of the 

 ocean environment. 



Potential impacts of offshore oil and gas development have greatly in- 

 creased concern about the onshore effects of offshore activities. DOI's 

 Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 

 and the Bureau of Mines have joined the more traditional sources of 

 funding for marine social science research — the programs of the Na- 

 tional Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (BOR), the 

 Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT). FWS. and the 

 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). 



One of the DOI projects jointly sponsored by USGS and the New Eng- 

 land River Basins Commission seeks to develop and test a methodology 

 for siting onshore energy-related facilities associated with OCS develop- 

 ment. This study is expected to have broad application to planning in 



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