'Not in our backyard:' Guam legislature joins neighboring islands in opposing seabed mining
- Admin
- 7 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By Jayvee Vallejera
The 38th Guam Legislature has officially adopted a resolution that reaffirms its call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining in the region and objects to leasing more than 35 million acres of underwater lands off the coast of the Marianas region for seabed mining.
In an emergency session Friday, Guam senators unanimously voted to adopt Resolution 132-38, which rejects the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's proposal and request for information for commercial leasing of the outer continental shelf of the Northern Mariana Islands for seabed mining.
The resolution, which has 12 sponsors, got 14 yes votes and one excused.
The resolution will now be sent to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. It is nonbinding and expresses the Guam Legislature’s opposition to seabed mining in the region.
The resolution’s author, Sen. Therese Terlaje, was joined by nine other senators who gave their full-throated support for Resolution 132-38.
Terlaje said the legislature's action will put Guam on the right side of history alongside other people in the Western Pacific.
The CNMI House of Representatives has already adopted a resolution expressing concerns over the planned deep-sea mining in the Marianas. The Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands have also called for a moratorium.
“Today we speak with one voice. The Marianas are not divided. We stand united to protect our ocean, our culture, and the generations who will come after us," Sen. Sabrina Salas Matanane said.
American Samoa, which is being considered for underwater mining, opposes the proposal. Its legislature has expressed strong opposition to deep-sea mining, with local leaders unanimously agreeing to reject any exploration or extraction of minerals from the ocean floor in their waters.
More than 76,000 comments were also submitted to BOEM to oppose seabed mining in American Samoa. In response, Terlaje said BOEM doubled the size of the area in American Samoa proposed for lease to private mining companies.
“We cannot allow it. We must do everything we can,” Terlaje said.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio and Del. James Moylan have already expressed opposition to the BOEM proposal.
The legislature adopted the resolution three days before the Jan. 12 deadline to submit comments to BOEM is this Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.
“It is crucial that we send today a clear, timely message of opposition,” Terlaje said.
Resolution 132-38 received unanimous support at a packed public hearing Wednesday.
“This unity speaks volumes, and it is long overdue. It tells us that the people of Guam—and it tells the world—that the people of Guam across all sectors recognize what’s at stake. They are calling on us as lawmakers to act decisively in defense of our ocean and our rights,” Terlaje said.
She said a key point raised in the testimonies was that Guam must have a say in what happens to its surrounding waters.
Agriculture and environment officials described BOEM’s approach as “legally deficient, scientifically unsound and incompatible with the rights and interests of the people of the Marianas.”
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“The federal proposal rests on ‘a deeply flawed assumption’ that the U.S. can unilaterally authorize mining in our region without our consent—an assumption deemed legally untenable,” Terlaje said.
At the public hearing, an official representing the Guam Environmental Protection Agency argued that international law supports Guam and that, for decades, the United Nations has affirmed that the people of non-self-governing territories have permanent sovereignty over their natural resources.
“In plain terms, our people have the right to decide how our seabed resources are used and we cannot allow distant officials to bypass Guam’s consent on an issue that could define our environmental and economic future, our livelihoods, our ability to live here on Guam,” Terlaje said.
Wednesday’s public hearing drew several testimonies about seabed mining’s impacts on Guam and its tourism-based economy; its effects on the Marianas Trench and surrounding waters; the “catastrophic risks” it poses; and the lack of scientific evidence, baseline environmental studies or cultural impact assessments to justify or even fully understand the impacts of this new industry.
Quoting the testimony of the Bureau of Statistics and Plans, Terlaje described BOEM’s proposal as “reckless and unacceptable.”
Environmental experts painted a sobering picture of what seabed mining could bring: destruction of fragile deep-sea habitats, permanent biodiversity loss, massive sediment plumes travelling hundreds of miles.
“The deep-sea ocean ecosystems that are targeted for mining are among the least studied places on Earth. The point was made again and again that irreversible harm would occur before we even grasp what we’re losing," Terlaje said.
"And these warnings are based on science and should give us serious pause. And they also pointed out that we have no way to stop them once we confirm the degradation," she added.
The Guam legislature first expressed opposition to deep-sea mining in 2021, adopting a resolution calling on the United States to support a moratorium on seabed mining in U.S. waters.
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