u 



ment, the Federal Power Commission review 

 its rules regarding accounting practices for 

 research and development expenditui'es to 

 assure that they are clear and consistent with 

 the legitimate needs of the gas transmission 

 industry. 



To encourage offshore mining, considerable 

 flexibility is needed in policies under which 

 outer continental shelf lands are made avail- 

 able to industry' for development. Accord- 

 ingly, the Commission proposes modification 

 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to 

 permit the Secretary of the Interior to waive 

 competitive bidding requirements when 

 deemed necessary to stimvdate exploration. 

 The Secretary should be allowed similar 

 flexibility for mineral resource development 

 beyond the continental shelf. 



Technological Development To encourage 

 offshore mining acti\ity, the Commission 

 recommends that the Federal Government 

 support the development of fundamental 

 technology' which will facilitate exploration 

 for and recover^' of subsea minerals. 

 Support for Marine Industry 



Industry's most frequently stated problem 

 is the lack of a clear regulatory and legal 

 framework for many aspects of marine op- 

 erations. Industry also is handicapped by 

 current and foreseeable conflicts ovev mul- 

 tiple use of marine areas and by lack of clear 

 definition of the rights of individuals and 

 companies to use coastal or offshore areas. 



Private investment capital is available for 

 ocean ventures, and industry neither desires 

 nor requires direct Government subsidy. In- 

 dustry must, of course, dej^end on the Govern- 

 ment for many kinds of support and services. 

 Surveys, environmental data collection, fore- 

 casts, protection of life and property, aids to 

 navigation, and similar services are a proper 

 responsibility of Government and serve the 



total marine community. Go\ernment devel- 

 opment of fundamental technology and sup- 

 port of the recommended National Projects 

 also are necessary because no single firm or 

 industi-y reasonably can be expected to bear 

 their cost. The Commission urges that Gov- 

 ernment research and development programs 

 be planned and administered to enable 

 industry to assume the responsibility for the 

 further development of technology at the 

 earliest possible stage. Participation by in- 

 dustry in all phases of the recommended pro- 

 gram will aid in identifying wholly new 

 directions of commercial enterprise. 



The territorial sea offers a new realm for 

 individual and small business enterprises. 

 The Commission recommends an experimen- 

 tal program to encourage new uses of the 

 ocean through State leases of submarine 

 areas within U.S. territorial waters. Such a 

 program might be called "seasteading." The 

 lease would be contingent on useful employ- 

 ment of the leasehold and should be consist- 

 eiat with plans for the orderly development 

 of offshore regions. 



International Arrangements for Uses of 

 the Oceans 



The Commission has not recommended a 

 single framework for the management of all 

 the uses of the oceans. In its view, this is 

 neither feasible nor desirable in the imme- 

 diate future. Different uses of the sea present 

 different problems requiring different solu- 

 tions. In time, as the uses of the sea increase 

 and problems of conflicting use multiply, it 

 may be necessary to create some overarching 

 international framework to handle these 

 problems. This time has not yet come. 



Instead, the Commission recommends that 

 the United States take the initiative to 

 propose : 



• New international frameworks (princi- 

 ples, rules, procedures, and institutions) 



