Image courtesy of NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
Reject Deep-Sea Mining in the Marianas
The Trump administration is advancing deep-sea mining in the Pacific, despite broad opposition and new science revealing the risks.
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has opened a Request for Information that could lead to reckless, short-sighted deep-sea mining near the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, which protects rare ocean wildlife in some of the deepest waters on Earth and is a place of deep cultural significance.
We stand with local communities in saying NO to deep-sea mining near the Northern Mariana Islands. Raise your voice to reject this short-sighted and dangerous industry. Submit your public comment before December 12th.
Act by December 12th
Submit your public comment on the federal registrar before December 12th to OPPOSE deep-sea mining near the Northern Marianas and Mariana Trench Marine National Monument
- If you are an individual living anywhere in the world: sign this petition
- If you are an organization, use the joint organizational letter led by Friends of the Mariana Trench: sign this letter.
Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to take action.
Additional Context
On April 24, 2025 President Trump signed an executive order aimed at making it easier for companies to mine the deep seafloor, saying it would create “a robust domestic supply for critical minerals.” The executive order instructs federal agencies to expedite the process for reviewing and issuing permits for mining on the seafloor in both U.S. and international waters. Separately, on June 25, the Department of the Interior announced that it would fast-track permits for deep-sea mining, potentially with reduced environmental review.
On June 16, 2025 the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) initiated the first steps that could potentially lead to a lease sale for mining in U.S. federal waters off American Samoa, near the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. This process was in response to a request by California-based mining company Impossible Metals, which offered a paltry 1% of profit share to the local community. The American Samoa Government is unified in its opposition to deep sea mining off its coast, and the community members and allies submitted over 75,000 comments to BOEM opposing the proposal. Despite this, BOEM is moving ahead with the next phase of a lease sale and has announced its completion of the “area identification” phase of the leasing process, doubling the size of the potential mining area despite the intense local opposition.
On July 7, 2025, NOAA proposed revisions to its regulations governing deep seabed mining under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), specifically for exploration licenses and commercial mining permits for polymetallic nodules in waters outside of U.S. jurisdiction. The proposed rule would allow companies to submit a single application for both exploration and commercial exploitation permits.