Word: ownership
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Those favoring the bill for federal ownership concentrate their views on the Supreme Court decision. They say that since the states never owned the land the states have no rights to be considered whatever. Since the United States has "paramount rights and full dominion" in this land, why should the government give the land away? How can the federal government, they argue, give land in which all the states have an interest to three states? This, they say, would be a quitclaim, and they see no reason...
...other side of the fence, the supporters of the bill giving ownership of the tideland oil deposits to the states look at the practical situation in the tidelands today and try to ignore the Court decision as much as possible. They maintain that in practice the states have owned this land, and the federal bill would take it away from them. Great development and organization of the new oil fields have already taken place under state ownership. Such a change as is proposed by the administration would disrupt the whole system and delay the development of the area until...
...become a standard part of all oil legislation, and all states have their conservation laws. Federal conservation, however, has always been more effective than state, and Harold Ickes charges that oil lobbies in some states, particularly California, have reduced conservation to an ineffective farce. This consideration makes federal ownership necessary to maintain an important oil reserve. A Representative from Texas, however, says that there is precedent for federal regulation of state owned oil fields. Although most oil conservation is now in the hands of the states, perhaps the doctrine of paramount rights would allow the federal government to regulate...
...rallied many non-oil states to an attack on the administration. One of the most vociferous lobbies in this case is an association of state attorneys general screaming states rights. They argue that if the doctrine of federal "paramount rights" can lead to the government taking over ownership of what was considered state property, then carried to its logical conclusion paramount rights might be used to seize any state property. The federal government, however, denies any right to anything except the marginal sea area...
While the states are claiming the federal government is trying to grab its land, other people are saying that state ownership is merely a land grab by big business. This is not true, for the business arrangements in the federal bill are identical with those of the states. Oil rights to an area of land are leased to the highest bidder, bids later being made public; and when oil is struck, the owner of the land receives a royalty, usually one-eighth. The preference of business for state control stems from a fear of a disruption of the industry...