Trump greenlights deep-sea mining as U.S. companies clash with global law and environmental warnings
President Trump’s executive order jump-started a controversial push for commercial seabed mining, igniting a partisan battle in Congress and drawing international criticism.
Max Bearak reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- The Metals Company filed the first U.S. permit application for seabed mining just days after President Trump signed an executive order encouraging the practice in both U.S. and international waters.
- At a congressional hearing, Republicans emphasized the need to reduce mineral dependence on China, while Democrats questioned the business viability and environmental safety of seabed mining.
- The Clarion-Clipperton Zone, where the Metals Company aims to mine, holds massive mineral deposits, but critics warn of unknown ecological impacts and international legal conflicts.
Key quote:
“The industry’s financial models are based on wildly optimistic assumptions and fail to reflect the volatility and reality of global mineral markets.”
— Representative Maxine E. Dexter (D-Oregon)
Why this matters:
Seabed mining targets vast stretches of the ocean floor rich in metals like nickel, cobalt and manganese — key ingredients in modern electronics, renewables, and energy storage. But the deep sea is Earth’s least explored ecosystem, and disturbing it risks harming species that haven’t even been identified. The ocean floor between Hawaii and Mexico, where these mineral-rich nodules lie, is thought to harbor hundreds of unique marine species. Mining could unleash sediment plumes, disrupt life cycles, and alter the food web from the bottom up. International law has long held that these waters are a global commons managed by the International Seabed Authority, but the U.S. is now asserting its own path. With geopolitical tensions around rare earth elements rising — particularly with China’s dominance in refining — industry pressure is building. Yet the potential ecological impacts remain uncertain and possibly irreversible.
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