The Trump administration is inching closer to opening U.S. waters to the first mineral lease sale in decades amid booming industry interest and growing anxiety among environmental groups.
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, on Monday said it has identified areas off the coast of American Samoa for a mineral lease, and is seeking information about holding a lease sale off the shores of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The step signals agencies are moving forward with reviewing activity tied to deep-sea mining in U.S. waters, right as companies line up for permission to plumb the ocean depths for minerals both in domestic and international waters.
“The Pacific Outer Continental Shelf holds vast potential for critical minerals that power American manufacturing and defense technology,” acting BOEM Director Matt Giacona said in a release. “These resources are key to ensuring the United States is not reliant on China and other nations for its critical minerals needs.”
