American Samoa poised to lead US push for ocean mineral extraction

By Ron Rocky Coloma

Off the coast of American Samoa, a remote U.S. territory known for its tuna canneries and oceanic biodiversity, plans are quietly unfolding to turn the surrounding deep waters into a new frontier for mineral extraction. At the center of this movement is John Wasko, executive director of the American Samoa Economic Development Council, who believes the territory is poised to play a pivotal role in the United States' strategic push for domestic access to critical minerals.

“In 2020, I became aware of the critical mineral resources in American Samoa's exclusive economic zone,” Wasko said. “I found it in a publication of the U.S. Geological Survey. After some research, we determined that the resource was sought after by end users such as automobile manufacturers.”

John Wasko

He described the moment as a turning point. Drawing on industry connections and a belief in what he called a “practical solution” to U.S. reliance on foreign minerals, Wasko helped establish ASEDC, a nonprofit group aiming to create a new industrial economy in American Samoa.

Their objective aligns with national priorities. As the world transitions toward clean energy, demand for nickel, cobalt, copper and rare earth elements has surged. These materials are used in batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense systems. But most of the global supply is concentrated in places like China and Congo, whose supply chains Washington sees as vulnerable to geopolitical tensions.

To counter that, the Biden administration has called for a "secure, sustainable and reliable" source of critical minerals. The Inflation Reduction Act and a series of executive orders have allocated funding for domestic production and exploration. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management began issuing guidelines for mineral leasing under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953.

“We learned early on that BOEM was the regulatory body for ocean energy,” Wasko said. “Rather, we visited the federal agencies in Honolulu. In those meetings, we shared a practical solution to America's dependence on foreign nations for critical minerals. So, we solved a big problem for the military, state departments and civilian think tanks.”

That “practical solution” may soon be put to the test. Impossible Metals, a U.S.-based deep-sea mining company, has become the first to request a lease to explore and potentially mine these minerals in the deep waters surrounding American Samoa. The company’s application was filed under the authority of BOEM and marks a historic moment in U.S. seabed resource policy.

“Impossible Metals’ innovative approach to selective harvesting of minerals from the deep sea will revolutionize the mining industry,” said Oliver Gunasekara, the company’s CEO, in a public statement. He emphasized the importance of environmental stewardship and pledged collaboration with the people of American Samoa and U.S. government agencies.

Wasko also confirmed the collaboration. “American Samoa welcomes the start of a deep-sea minerals industry that will bring significant economic growth, support national security and create jobs,” he said in a statement.

Still, deep-sea mining remains a contentious issue, especially among environmentalists and Pacific island nations. Some fear irreversible damage to marine ecosystems and question whether enough is known about the long-term effects of disturbing the ocean floor. These concerns have fueled opposition movements across the Pacific, where communities recall a long history of colonial resource extraction with little benefit to locals.

But Wasko is unfazed. “I'm not aware of any ‘growing opposition,’” he said. “There are always going to be a set of trade-offs. Currently, fossil fuel consumption is killing planet Earth. Critical minerals are renewable and do not emit toxic residue into the air. So, the South Pacific nations are in a position to save planet Earth from self-destruction.”

He challenged the critics, calling them "the problem, not the solution. They consume fossil fuel energy to their benefit, yet criticize the people trying to reverse toxic atmospheric pollution.”

Wasko added that American Samoa is not the only territory being considered. “The South Pacific has a tortured history of exploitation of resources. ASEDC is building a standard mining agreement for South Pacific nations, which includes a shareholder equity provision.”

He pointed to the Cook Islands as a model. “Our neighbors, the Cook Islands, have studied these contingencies for 60 years. Look at their research results,” he said.

Geopolitical tensions are pushing the U.S. government to accelerate domestic extraction efforts. President Donald Trump has taken executive actions to allow undersea mining to counter China's dominance in critical mineral supply chains. Financial Times recently reported on plans to create a national strategic reserve of polymetallic nodules--potato-sized lumps on the ocean floor that contain nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese. These nodules are found in large quantities in the Clarion Clipperton Zone and within the EEZs of American Samoa and the Cook Islands.

Alexander Gray, national security advisor during Trump's first term, argued that China sees the deep seabed as a new front in its competition with the U.S. “More broadly, it is necessary to focus the U.S. government on areas most vulnerable to China’s ambitions,” Gray said.

Gunasekara of Impossible Metals echoed this in a blog post earlier this month, writing, “We strongly recommend that Congress approve funding for adding polymetallic nodules to the National Defense Stockpile.” He proposed that such a move would create a strategic reserve and incentivize U.S. companies to build domestic processing facilities and create high-tech jobs.

For now, the waters off American Samoa remain untouched, though perhaps not for long. The environmental impact assessments, community engagement processes and federal oversight mechanisms still lie ahead.

American Samoa, a U.S. territory since 1900, remains under the administrative control of the Department of the Interior - a relationship that Wasko says complicates but does not preclude private investment. “American Samoa is positioned to be a receiving and refining hub for Asia Pacific,” he said. “A private industry.”

What that industry will look like remains to be seen. Whether it will benefit the people of American Samoa or mirror past cycles of resource extraction is a question that will depend on oversight, transparency and equitable participation.

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