HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS AND SURVEYS SEVENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON S. J. Res. 83 A JOINT RESOLUTION RELATIVE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NAVAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN THE SUBMERGED LANDS ALONG AND ADJACENT TO THE COAST OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND S. J. Res. 92 A JOINT RESOLUTION DECLARING THE CONSERVATION OF PETROLEUM DEPOSITS UNDERLYING SUBMERGED LANDS ADJACENT TO AND ALONG THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA, BELOW LOW-WATER MARK AND UNDER THE TERRITORIAL WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ESSENTIAL FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE, MAINTENANCE OF THE NAVY, AND REGULATION AND PROTECTION OF INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE; RESERVING THE SAME AS A NAVAL PETROLEUM RESERVE, SUBJECT TO ANY SUPERIOR VESTED RIGHT, TITLE, OR INTEREST; AND AUTHORIZING APPROPRIATE JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS TO ASSERT, ASCERTAIN, ESTABLISH, AND MAINTAIN THE RIGHT AND INTEREST OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN SUCH RESERVE, AND TO EJECT TRESPASSERS MARCH 27, 28, 29, AND 30, 1939 Printed for the use of the Committee on Public Lands and Surveys CONTENTS Hon. Tom Connally, a United States Senator from the State of Texas. Homer C. De Wolfe, attorney and member of the State Board of Edu- John F. Dockweiler, representing the Governor of California 258 173 R. W. Fairchild, assistant attorney general of Texas, Austin, Tex. Bascomb Giles, land commissioner of the State of Texas, Austin, Tex. Percy C. Heckendorf, district attorney of the city of Santa Barbara, Hon. Sam Hobbs, a Representative in the Congress of the United Harry R. Johnson, consultant for the harbor board and city of Long 274 16 331 Robert E. Lee Jordan, Los Angeles, Calif.. Samuel A. King, attorney at law, Washington, D. C. 436 404, 407 Joseph A. Loret, special assitant attorney general of Louisiana_ George F. Nicholson, representing the American Association of Port Hon. Gerald P. Nye, a United States Senator from the State of North 191 93 54, 421 204 2 Capt. H. A. Stuart, U. S. Navy, director, Naval Petroleum Reserves, 46, 417 Hon. John W. Tolan, a Representative in the Congress of the United 435 George W. Trammell, city attorney for Long Beach, Calif. George B. Wilcox, president, State Teachers' Association of Texas, 146 TITLE TO SUBMERGED OIL LANDS MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1939 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS AND SURVEYS, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10:30 a. m., pursuant to call, in room 224, Senate Office Building, Senator Alva B. Adams presiding. Present: Senators Adams (chairman), Andrews, Nye, Holman, and Gurney. Present also: Senators Sheppard, Connally, and Johnson of California. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. I will say, for the benefit of the gentlemen present and for the information of the committee reporter, we have before us this morning Senate Joint Resolution 92, introduced by Senator Nye as a substitute for his former Senate Joint Resolution 24; and Senate Joint Resolution 83, introduced by Senator Walsh. It is my understanding that the body of each of the two resolutions is identical. These resolutions will be made a part of the record. (S. J. Res. 83 and S. J. Res. 92 are here made a part of the record, as follows:) [S. J. Res. 92, 76th Cong., 1st sess.] JOINT RESOLUTION Declaring the conservation of petroleum deposits underlying submerged lands adjacent to and along the coast of California, below low-water mark and under the territorial waters of the United States of America, essential for national defense, maintenance of the Navy, and regulation and protection of interstate and foreign commerce; reserving the same as a naval petroleum reserve, subject to any superior vested right, title, or interest; and authorizing appropriate judicial proceedings to assert, ascertain, establish, and maintain the right and interest of the United States of America in such reserve, and to eject trespassers Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the conservation of petroleum deposits underlying submerged lands adjacent to and along the coast of the State of California, below low-water mark and under the territorial waters of the United States of America, is hereby declared to be essential for national defense, maintenance of the Navy, and regulation and protection of interstate and foreign commerce, and that in the exercise of the paramount and exclusive powers of sovereignty of the United States for those purposes, there are hereby reserved and set aside as a naval petroleum reserve any and all such deposits, subject to the same control of the Secretary of the Navy as is provided for other naval petroleum reserves; subject, also, to any superior right, title, or interest of any person, partnership, association, corporation, or of the State of California, or any municipality, or local subdivision of that State which may have heretofore been granted by the United States of America, or which may have become otherwise validly and lawfully vested, or which may be recognized and established in the judicial proceedings hereinafter authorized. SEC. 2. That the Attorney General of the United States of America is hereby authorized and directed, by and through appropriate judicial proceedings, to assert, ascertain, establish, and maintain the right and interest of the United States in and to such naval petroleum reserve and deposits, and to cause and effectuate by proper judicial proceedings the removal and ejectment of all persons now or hereafter trespassing upon or occupying the said submerged lands or re 1 |