Pacific Territories Resist US Deep-Sea Mining Expansion

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management aims to auction exploration licenses for a 125,000 square kilometer block near American Samoa as early as November. Similar plans target waters surrounding Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, effectively placing industrial machinery near protected zones like the Rose Atoll marine sanctuary. While President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order emphasizes the necessity of these minerals for energy and military sectors, local leaders argue that the economic promises—including a one percent profit-sharing pledge from mining firm Impossible Metals—are negligible compared to the potential for irreversible environmental destruction.

Because these exploration zones exist just outside the three-mile maritime boundary of the territories, local governments possess limited legal authority to block the federal government’s agenda. In response, Guam has moved to restrict mining vessels from accessing its ports, a strategy Governor Apatang is now weighing for his own jurisdiction. Representatives like Aumua Amata of American Samoa warn that the projects risk devastating local fisheries and food security, setting the stage for a protracted clash between the strategic resource goals of the White House and the ecological survival of island communities.