(S. 521) Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The vote is on the Jackson amendment to create an experimental federally funded program so that the Interior Department could contract out for exploratory oil drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. Until now the government has relied on oil company data to decide the value of offshore oil deposits, and could be leasing these tracts for much less than their true value. Conservationists believe that the government should get its own independent information, so it can weigh the environmental costs against the energy benefits in each case, and make sure that the public gets a fair return on its land. Most new parks and recreation areas are paid for by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is financed by revenues from offshore oil leasing. The President took no official position on the amendment. July 30, 1975. Adopted 46-41. The correct vote is yes.