Key facts
- The US government plans to lease 28 million hectares of seabed near the Mariana Trench for deep sea mining.
- The leases aim to extract polymetallic nodules containing critical minerals for batteries, electronics, and defense.
- Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have expressed strong opposition due to environmental concerns and insufficient scientific baseline studies.
- American Samoa's governor also opposes the mining plans, fearing damage to the territory's vital tuna industry.
- Environmental groups have filed lawsuits, warning of potential destruction to marine ecosystems and harm to wildlife from mining machinery and noise.
The Trump administration, through the Marine Mineral Administration (MMA), has proposed auctioning leases for 28 million hectares of seabed off the coasts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands for deep sea mining. This initiative aims to extract polymetallic nodules rich in critical minerals essential for batteries, electronics, and defense technologies, positioning the US in a race with China for these resources.
However, the proposal has met significant opposition from the US territories themselves. Governor David Apatang of the Northern Marianas stated his government would approach the plan with "extreme caution," emphasizing the need for rigorous scientific baseline studies and explicit protections for marine resources before any activity commences. Similarly, Guam's lieutenant governor, Joshua Tenorio, declared unequivocal opposition, arguing that national security cannot come at the expense of environmental risks that are not yet fully understood.
Adding to the resistance, the governor of American Samoa, Nikolau Pula, also expressed opposition, concerned that untested extraction processes could negatively impact the territory's economy, which relies heavily on its tuna industry. Environmental groups have taken legal action, filing lawsuits in Hawaii alleging that federal agencies failed to adequately evaluate the destructive potential of deep sea mineral extraction on marine ecosystems and wildlife, warning that machinery could destroy life and stir up toxic sediments.
The MMA has stated it completed an environmental review and will consider public comments, but officials from Guam expressed distrust regarding assurances that mining would not begin immediately after lease awards, given the rapidly evolving nature of the process.