Marine Boundaries: States and the United States

摘要

Marine boundaries between states of the United States and between the states and the United States have a long and contentious history. Disputes have arisen between states separated by a river and between states in extending their land boundaries seaward. Especially since the Submerged Lands Act of 1953, disputes between states and the federal United States over title to valuable resources in the three-mile coastal area measured from the shoreline have been sharp and continuous. The legal basis for the delimitation of marine zones, including common law, statutes and international law, has been explored, indicating the reliance of courts on all three sources plus equitable principles.