Guam, CNMI delegates warn feds of the risks of hasty plan to raid Marianas subsea

Friends of the Marianas launches petition opposing deep-sea mining

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

Guam and CNMI delegates have cautioned the Bureau of Ocean Energy against making any uninformed decision to open up the waters around the Marianas to deep-sea mining. At the same time, a conservation group has launched a petition opposing the federal plan to raid the Marianas seabed.

“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.

Moylan and King-Hinds backed Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and CNMI Gov. David Apatang’s request for a 120-day extension of the public commenting period.

“BOEM's decision to limit the comment, information, and indications of interest period to only 30 days risks undermining our island communities' ability to provide accurate and comprehensive feedback to the bureau,” Moylan and King-Hinds said.

They urged the bureau to seek input from citizens, fishers, scientists, businesses and local officials "to ensure that any decision is made with full consideration of those who call the Marianas home."

The group Friends of the Marianas has launched a petition opposing the deep-sea mining plan in the waters surrounding the U.S. territories.

“Our mission is to be the guardians of our ocean resources by empowering communities with ocean conservation strategies and research grounded in traditional teachings,” the Friends said.

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

The bureau has issued a request for information to solicit industry interests, launching the initial steps that could potentially lead to leasing the seabed for mineral harvesting in the CNMI’s outer continental shelf.

According to the bureau’s solicitation, the target area is located west of the Mariana Trench National Monument along the eastern edge of the U.S. exclusive economic zone.

“Without an extension, BOEM seriously risks making a decision without a true understanding of the impact,” Moylan and King-Hids said.

They noted that the target area's southern boundary is approximately equal distance between the islands of Guam and Rota, “meaning any commercial exploration or exploitation of minerals in the area could have sweeping interterritorial effects.”

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