US Territories Oppose Trump Plan for Pacific Deep-Sea Mining Exploration

A U.S. government plan to lease millions of hectares of seabed near the Mariana Trench for deep-sea exploration has sparked opposition from U.S. territories in the Pacific, amid a race with China for control of critical ocean minerals. The Marine Mineral Administration (MMA), under the Department of the Interior, proposed auctioning leases for 28 million hectares of seafloor off the coasts of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

These leases would permit companies to explore the seabed and potentially extract polymetallic nodules, which are crucial minerals for batteries, electronics, and defense technologies. However, environmental groups have voiced concerns, arguing that more research is necessary to understand the effects of deep-sea mining on marine ecosystems. The Northern Mariana Islands is a self-governing commonwealth, while Guam is an unincorporated U.S. territory.

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no activity, survey or otherwise, takes place without rigorous scientific baseline studies, complete transparency, and explicit protections for our marine resources

David Apatang, governor of the Northern Marianas, stated his administration would approach the proposal with "extreme caution." While acknowledging the strategic importance of critical minerals, he stressed the necessity of "rigorous scientific baseline studies, complete transparency, and explicit protections for our marine resources" before any survey or activity commences. His administration plans to thoroughly examine the proposed terms over the next 60 days to safeguard the ecological integrity of their waters and the long-term well-being of the commonwealth.

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National security cannot mean asking the people of the Pacific to accept environmental risks before those risks are fully understood.

The MMA previously stated it had completed an environmental review of the proposed leases and would consider comments from the governor. Meanwhile, the office of the governor of Guam acknowledged the U.S. administration's focus on national security but asserted that "national security cannot mean asking the people of the Pacific to accept environmental risks before those risks are fully understood." Guam's lieutenant governor, Joshua Tenorio, declared, "We’re unequivocally opposed to the deep sea mining efforts in this region," expressing distrust in assurances that mining would not commence immediately after licensing.

This proposal follows a similar leasing process initiated for 12.4 million hectares of American Samoa's seafloor, with contracts expected to be awarded in November. The article also notes a photograph of Donald Trump holding a replica of a deep-sea nodule, received at a mining industry event.

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We’re unequivocally opposed to the deep sea mining efforts in this region