Trump eyes executive order to fast-track deep-sea mining

The Trump administration is reportedly considering an executive order that would accelerate deep-sea mining in international waters by allowing companies to bypass a United Nations-backed review process.The order, according to sources cited by Reuters, would affirm the United States’ right to extract critical minerals from the ocean floor, enabling companies to seek permits directly from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).The move would mark President Donald Trump’s latest push to secure international sources of nickel, copper, and other essential minerals. It follows his recent invocation of emergency powers to boost domestic mineral production.The International Seabed Authority (ISA), established in 1982 under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—which the U.S. has not ratified—has spent years developing regulations for deep-sea mining. In 2021, the island nation of Nauru sponsored Canada’s The Metals Company (NASDAQ: TMC) to begin deep-sea mining, forcing the ISA to draft rules before any company could start extracting minerals in international waters.Trump is the best news for deep sea mining – The Metals Company CEOThe 36-member ISA council has since met repeatedly to finalize regulations. In March, officials gathered in Jamaica to review hundreds of proposed amendments to a 256-page draft mining code, but the session ended without a resolution.Frustrated by the ISA’s slow progress, TMC last week formally urged the Trump administration to issue deep-sea mining permits, arguing that “commercial industry is not welcome at the ISA.”“The Authority is being influenced by a faction of States allied with environmental NGOs who see the deep-sea mining industry as their ‘last green trophy’” ‘”, TMC chairman and chief executive, Gerard Barron, said on Monday. “They have worked tirelessly to continuously delay the adoption of the Exploitation Regulations with the explicit intent of killing commercial industry.”Growing interestGovernments interested in developing deep-sea mining within their territorial waters — typically 200 nautical miles from shore — include the Cook Islands, Norway and Japan.Proponents of seabed mining contend that its environmental impact is lower than land-based extraction. Critics warn that the long-term consequences remain uncertain and advocate for further research before large-scale operations begin.Instead of using large-scale dredging equipment, Impossible Metals employs AI-powered, robotic AUVs to carefully pick up nodules. (Image courtesy of Impossible Metals.) Supporters argue that deep-sea mining is crucial to meeting rising mineral demand. The International Energy Agency projects that demand for copper and rare earth metals will grow by 40%, while the need for nickel, cobalt, and lithium—driven by clean energy technologies—could rise by 60%, 70%, and 90%, respectively.Beyond TMC, other companies exploring deep-sea mining include California-based Impossible Metals, Russia’s JSC Yuzhmorgeologiya, Blue Minerals Jamaica, China Minmetals, and Kiribati’s Marawa Research and Exploration.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com