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End The Moratorium: The Timor Gap Treaty As A Model For The Complete Resolution Of The Western Gap In The Gulf Of Mexico, John Holmes

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The United States and Mexico recently entered into a treaty to delimit the continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, allowing both countries access to explore and exploit valuable natural resources in the Western Gulf. Included in the treaty is a ten-year moratorium on oil production within a buffer zone that encompasses transboundary reserves.

This Note explores the issues surrounding the buffer zone and suggests a model to resolve the dispute over access to transboundary reserves that will benefit both the United States and Mexico. Part 11 describes the relevant international law governing the Gulf of Mexico. Part III outlines …