Court decisions, treaties, legislation, policies and procedures that guide the boundary making process on the Outer Continental Shelf. Some of the oddities and complexities of boundary creation for specific areas can be explained by understanding the underlying laws and decisions made over the years.
Court Decisions
U.S. Court decisions affecting offshore boundaries:
- Number 9 Original, Supplemental Decree, October 1997
Texas Boundary Case — Establishes a fixed federal-state boundary off the coast of Texas for Submerged Lands Act purposes. The precise coordinates defining the boundary are listed. - Number 9 Original, Supplemental Decree, October 1992
Alabama Boundary Case — Establishes a fixed baseline for the coast of Alabama for Submerged Lands Act purposes. The precise coordinates defining the baseline are listed. - Fixing California's Submerged Lands Act Boundary
Treaties and Legislation
Includes coordinate listings for international boundaries:
- Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
- Territorial Submerged Lands Act — Conveys submerged lands to the Territories including the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — Full texts of the Convention, current status, and historical background
- Additional Treaties and Legislation — Including coordinate listings for international boundaries
Procedures
Used by the Bureau for determining marine boundaries:
- OCS Mapping Initiative, Energy Policy Act of 2005 - Implementation Plan for the Multipurpose Marine Cadastre
- Planar Median (Equidistant) Line Computations for Narrow Channels
- Geometric Median Line Computations
- Three-Dimensional Coastline Projection Computational Techniques for Determining the Locations of Offshore Boundaries
- Three-Dimensional Equidistant Line Computational Techniques for Determining the Location of Offshore Boundaries
- Boundary Development on the Outer Continental Shelf
- Project Plan for Implementing NAD 83 in the Minerals Management Service Part I: Responsibilities and Timeframes
- Project Plan for Implementing NAD 83 in the Minerals Management Service Part II: Technical Aspects of Implementation
- NAD 83 Conversion Summary Status Report
- A Brief History of Minerals Management Service Official Protraction Diagrams and Leasing Maps