View of the coast of American Samoa with lush, tree-covered coastal hills and the ocean below.

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U.S. backs plan to explore deep-sea mining near American Samoa amid legal and environmental concerns

A California company’s bid to mine the seafloor near American Samoa gained momentum after the U.S. Interior Department agreed to review its proposal following a Trump administration order to fast-track seabed mining.

Max Bearak reports for The New York Times.

In short:

The Interior Department will assess a request by Impossible Metals to mine nearly 30,000 square miles of seabed in U.S. territorial waters off American Samoa.
The move follows President Trump’s April executive order pushing federal agencies to expedite seabed mining permits, even in contested international waters.
Environmental and legal pushback continues, as critics say unilateral U.S. action violates international norms and risks deep-sea ecosystems that are poorly understood.

Key quote:

“As soon as the executive order came out, that very much directed the different groups to accelerate and prioritize deep-sea mining.”

— Oliver Gunasekara, CEO of Impossible Metals

Why this matters:

Deep-sea mining offers access to minerals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese — critical for electric vehicles, renewable energy, and defense technologies — but at potentially high environmental costs. These ecosystems, found thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface, remain largely unexplored and may host ancient life forms uniquely adapted to extreme pressure and darkness. Disrupting the seabed to extract mineral nodules could irreversibly damage fragile habitats and threaten species not yet studied by science. Moreover, sediment plumes and noise pollution from mining operations may ripple through the marine food chain.

While most countries await international consensus through the United Nations-backed International Seabed Authority, the U.S. — which never ratified the Law of the Sea treaty — is pushing ahead unilaterally. American Samoa, with limited political representation and a history of environmental vulnerability, stands at the intersection of global power, corporate ambition, and Indigenous rights.

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California mining company turns to solar heat but can’t quit coal just yet

In California’s Mojave Desert, a mining plant is turning to solar thermal energy to replace one of its coal-fired generators, but a second unit may run for years due to the intense heat and 24-hour power it needs.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

In short:

Searles Valley Minerals, a mining company in Trona, Calif., is replacing one of its two coal plants with a solar thermal system but says the other may need to stay online for the foreseeable future due to operational demands.
The company will use a concentrating solar power system from start-up GlassPoint, which uses mirrors to generate high heat, a solution that works well in hot, sunny areas but requires a large land footprint and remains rare in the U.S.
Despite California’s push to phase out coal and President Trump’s efforts to revive it, economic and geographic constraints continue to complicate full industrial transitions away from fossil fuels.

Key quote:

“We just think coal is going to be a problem. We’re going to have a hard time sourcing it. We need to be ready to pivot.”

— Dennis Cruise, president of Searles Valley Minerals

Why this matters:

Industrial heat — the kind used in mining, chemical production, and heavy manufacturing — accounts for about half of global energy use, yet it’s rarely mentioned in public climate debates. Unlike home heating or car travel, generating this level of heat without fossil fuels is still tough. Most renewable energy technologies don’t deliver the extreme, continuous heat these facilities need. That leaves industries like the one in Trona stuck with coal, even as it becomes harder to source and politically unpopular. As the U.S. attempts to decarbonize, industrial energy needs present one of the biggest hurdles.

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