in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. If compared with the broad scope 

 of current Governmental programs, the scope of the Act is very limited, for 

 only those activities which fall generally in the category of "geological 

 and geophysical explorations" are covered by the Act. Section 11 of the 

 Act provides as follows: 



Any agency of the United States and any person 

 (including a natural person, an association, a 

 State, a political subdivision of a State, or 

 a private, public or municipal corporation) 

 authorized by the Secretary (of the Interior) 

 may conduct geological and geophysical explora- 

 tions in the Outer Continental Shelf, which do 

 not interfere with or endanger actual operations 

 under any lease maintained or granted pursuant 

 to this Act, and which are not unduly harmful 

 to aquatic life in such area. 



For your purposes - two points should be clarified here: 1) the scope 

 of Federal activities authorized by this section, and 2) the manner in which 

 Federal agencies may exercise the authority so granted. 



First, it is clear from the legislative history of the Act, that the 

 principal purpose of this section was to permit geophysical explorations 

 and to encourage the location of deposits of mineral resources, utilizing 

 seismic and other methods of exploration. The broader aspects of oceano- 

 graphy, hydrographic surveying, and other activities conducted for purposes 

 other than the location of mineral deposits, are not covered by the Act. We 

 must conclude, therefore, that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act does 

 not grant blanket authority to the agencies of the United States not other- 

 wise authorized by law to conduct such activities on the Shelf. 



It is also clear from the Act that private parties, including the States 

 and political subdivisions thereof, must obtain authorization in the form of 

 a permit from the Secretary of the Interior to conduct geological and geo- 

 physical explorations on the Outer Continental Shelf. The provision requir- 

 ing prior authorization by the Secretary for geological and geophysical 

 explorations was not incorporated in the original version of the Act, but 

 was included at the suggestion of the Department of Justice. In making the 

 suggestion, it is clear that the Department of Justice intended that such 

 requirement be imposed only on private persons and not upon the various 

 agencies of the United States. To date, we have had no serious conflict 

 between Governmental programs and operations conducted under Federal mineral 

 leases on the Continental Shelf. Explorations have apparently been carefully 

 performed without harmful effects on aquatic life in the area. 



It is the responsibility of the Secretary of the Interior to prevent 

 interference with or danger to actual operations under Federal mineral 

 leases granted pursuant to the Act and to require that explorations be not 

 unduly harmful to aquatic life in the area. This responsibility, together 



