House members on Thursday had starkly different takes on President Donald Trump’s plan to fast-track deep-sea mining in U.S. and international waters.
During a hearing before Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Republicans applauded NOAA for moving quickly to fast-track permitting in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order calling to unleash the practice.
“China is expanding their reach and racing to dominate deep-sea mining,” said Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), the subcommittee’s chair.
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Stauber said Beijing holds more exploration licenses than any other country, covering 92,000 square miles, about the size of the United Kingdom.
