12i 



OtTsliore oil in'oduction has lienefited many 

 other users of the oceans. The oil industry's 

 technology overlaps tliat required by the 

 U.S. Navy, scientific institutions, and other 

 marine enterprises. Its mapping of tlie ocean 

 tloor and development of materials and 

 equiimient for use at sea also will benefit 

 those outside the oil industry. The relation- 

 ship is reciprocal, of course; the petroleum 

 producers benefit from the skills and knowl- 

 edge produced by universities and other re- 

 search organizations and from military 

 technical developments. It is extremely im- 

 portant, therefore, that the arrangements 

 for information interchange among Govern- 

 ment agencies, academic institutions, and the 

 petroleum industry be strengthened and 

 expanded. 



The Commission recommends that ap- 

 propriate mechanisms be established to 

 assure timely exchange of scientific and 

 technological information among the 

 Federal Government, the petroleum in- 

 dustry, and the scientific community 

 consistent with security and proprietary 

 considerations. 



Legal and Regulatory Considerations 



The competitive leasing system established 

 under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands 

 Act has worked Avell for the petroleum in- 

 dustry and the Government. However, the 

 .') year term allowed by the Act for explora- 

 tion and development may be too short for 

 profitable dc\ clopment as the industry moves 

 farther otl'shore into deeper waters and more 

 hostile environments. 



The pressures to maximize short-run Fed- 

 eral income from continental shelf lands may 

 lead to exploitation that is too rapid from 

 the standpoint of the industry's welfare and 

 the national interest. 



Line Profiles of the Continental Shelf off 

 Different Points on the U.S. Coast 



West of Florida 



Sea leveH 



I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 



South of Mississippi 



1^ Sea level- 



6000 - 

 12000 - 



I I' I' I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 



South of Aleutians 



Sea leveH 



I I I I i 1^1 I Ill' 



South of Louisiana 



a 



6000 

 12000 



-Sea level- 



I ' ' I ' 



West of Southern California 

 OfK=^^-^ .^^fc^ .»■ Sea level n 



6000 

 12000 



I I I I I I I I I I I 



20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 

 Miles 



SOURCE ; U.S. Navy, Center for Naval Analyses (Project 

 Blue Water). 



