Inside Report (6)

Lobsters have become a weapon in a regional dispute over resources.

Rep. Dave McCurdy (D) of Oklahoma has called for a ''lobster profit-sharing act'' to counter a new oil tax some Yankee congressmen want. A lobster tax would fatten the US Treasury by $17 million annually, McCurdy says, and could be used to develop the Southwest - which doesn't have any lobsters.

The proposal is a joke - with a serious point. McCurdy offered it to mock a plan by the Northeast-Midwest Coalition. The coalition wants a profit-sharing tax on crude oil to help rebuild aging cities in the Northeast.