“Current deep-sea mining technologies pose tremendous risks of disrupting fisheries and marine ecosystems, which could endanger Guam and the CNMI's interconnected economies,” Guam Del. James Moylan and CNMI Del. Kimberly King-Hinds said in a letter to Matthew Giacona, the bureau’s director.

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan Starfish Infrastructure Inc., a Google subsidiary, is seeking the Federal Communications Commission’s approval to build and test the Guam portion of the Bulikula submarine fiber ring, pending issuance of the company’s cable landing license. Starfish said the Bulikula system is currently set to be installed on Dec. 16, hence its request for special temporary authority "to ensure that cable-laying activities in U.S. territory may proceed on schedule." Goog

The U.S. government is seeking to explore deep-sea mining in federally managed waters offshore the Northern Mariana Islands in line with the Trump administration's bid to facilitate domestic production of critical minerals to ensure secure supply chains for U.S. defense, infrastructure and energy sectors.