EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The United States has important entitlements to a wide range of underwater territories in the Arctic and other regions rich in oil, natural gas, minerals and marine life in an area known as the “expanded continental shelf” (ECS). These unique maritime geographical features are defined and codified in international law and rights based on the maritime scope of the United States submarine will extend far beyond the 200 nautical miles of the continental shelf to which all coastal states are entitled. This may interest you : Roe v. Wade: The Supreme Court Leaves an Evil United States.
For the past two decades the US government has been researching and collecting data intensively to establish the external borders of this ECS including the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans where coastal features in much of the US territory offshore. This includes a significant portion of the Arctic seabed that will give the US important sovereign rights and entitlements to exploration alongside the other four Arctic states bordering the Arctic Ocean. After many years of preparation across the various US administrations, this data is finally ready for presentation to the world, taking into account the legal framework and procedures outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS). Policymakers should carefully consider options for securing US interests in those regions. Early and active diplomatic outreach, consultations with Congress, and attention from executive branch officials will be crucial to ensure broad support for the description and extent of maritime territory in the forthcoming announcement by the US government on its ECS.
Acknowledgments:
This paper was edited by Ted Reinert and provided by Rachel Slattery.
