Whenever it appears to the commission that oil and gas deposits are known or believed to be contained in any such lands as are described in Section 6871.2, subdivision (b), of this code or in tide and submerged lands along the coast of the Pacific Ocean south of the northerly city limits of the City of Newport Beach in Orange County to the southerly boundary of the state, and are being drained by means of wells upon adjacent lands owned by others than the state, the commission shall thereupon be authorized and empowered to lease state-owned tide and submerged lands adjacent to any such wells for the production of oil and gas therefrom, either as a tract or in parcels of such size and shape as the commission shall determine but only within an area and to an extent necessary to offset such drainage of state-owned tide and submerged lands by any such wells upon adjacent lands owned by others.
(Amended by Stats. 1969, Ch. 1238.)