The U.S. government is moving to fast-track approvals for destructive seabed mining in the ocean. The Department of Interior is streamlining regulations for all U.S. waters and is already targeting American Samoa for deep-sea mining despite unified opposition from the American Samoa Government. At the global level, U.S. policy contradicts the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and sets a dangerous international precedent and poses serious geopolitical risk.

Seabed mining, both coastal and in the deep sea, is the industrial-scale extraction of minerals from the ocean floor. Such mining can damage seafloor habitats, create sediment clouds in the water column, and harm the health of marine ecosystems and wildlife populations. There are currently no commercial seabed mining operations anywhere in the world- it is expensive, untested, unproven, and destructive. Despite this, the U.S. government is aggressively weakening regulations for federal waters and there’s still no regulatory framework for international waters, leaving the world’s ocean exposed to growing interest from industry across the globe.

Leaders in congress must oppose federal policies and legislation to expedite seabed mining activities without sufficient environmental review. Congressional members should also support legislation, such as the American Seabed Protection Act and the International Seabed Protection Act, that will require studies on environmental impacts and help ensure a suitable regulatory framework for proposed seabed mining projects.