"The ownership of mineral rights is also at stake, as are big chunks of local tax rolls," he said. "The divergent interests of private landowners, local governments and the state in a very dynamic landscape makes for a confusing situation" ..
This is one of the main reasons why private land owners are protecting their land. Every acre lost to the state means lost oil revenues. Coincidently this leaves the state with even less incentive to save coastal marshes.
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