U.S. Deep-Sea Mining Industry Development

planned

Following President Donald Trump's executive order, the U.S. government is fast-tracking permits and encouraging the development of a deep-sea mining industry to extract seabed minerals such as polymetallic nodules containing manganese, copper, nickel, and cobalt. Multiple companies are in talks for access to seabed minerals, with potential lease sales planned in U.S. waters including Alaska, Virginia, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Regulatory agencies NOAA and BOEM are expediting the permitting process to enable commercial seabed mining, a first in international waters.