A deep-sea mining company that’s poised to be a first mover in international waters under Trump administration rules will testify on Capitol Hill this week amid ongoing debate about how much the U.S. should encourage the practice.
Gerard Barron, CEO of The Metals Co., and other executives will appear before the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on the Environment on Thursday to discuss the science of deep-sea mining, as well as mapping and technology.
The Trump administration is pushing to accelerate the mapping and extraction of mineral-rich nodules in the outer continental shelf and international waters. Barron’s Vancouver-based company is moving through NOAA’s newly condensed permitting process.
Republican Rep. Scott Franklin of Florida, who chairs the environment panel, has signaled his support for expanding ocean mapping and tapping into minerals on the seafloor to counter China.
