United States Plans First Ever Deep Sea Mining Leases

The United States is opening federal waters near American Samoa for its first-ever deep-sea mining leases.

The United States government is moving forward with plans to auction offshore mining tracts near American Samoa. This initiative marks the nation's first venture into deep-sea mineral leasing. Officials aim to strengthen domestic critical mineral supplies despite large-scale seabed extraction remaining largely untested globally.

• The motivationOfficials aim to strengthen the domestic supply chain for critical minerals.
• The locationThe proposed mining tracts sit off the coast of American Samoa.
• The precedentLarge-scale extraction from the deep ocean floor has never been done before.
• The agencyThe Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the leasing initiative.