ROV Deep Discoverer images a newly discovered hydrothermal vent field at Chammoro Seamount. Photo courtesy of PINA By Mar-Vic Cagurangan   Guam and the Northern Marianas’ call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining will have no bearing on the U.S. plan to lease federal waters for mineral extraction, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management said, adding that the quantity of public comments will not be a deciding factor either. John Romero, BOEM’s public affairs officer, assured

By Pacific Island Times News Staff Guam stands to lose more than $6 million in federal funds allocated for the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center due to the Trump administration's drastic funding cuts for substance abuse and mental health programs. The funding cut, which will affect 20 employees at Guam's mental health agency, will force the local government to draw on its treasury to continue providing services to its clients, the governor's office said. The governor

Civil society organizations in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, along with their national partners, have collected more than 60,000 petitions, letters and comments opposing the Trump administration’s plan to allow deep-sea mining near the Mariana Trench.