June 10, 2026 — The deep-sea mining industry could launch in the near future in U.S. federal waters. Yet legal experts and former government officials warn that the regulations that would govern this industry are outdated and lack important oversight provisions.
In April 2025, the Trump administration signaled its intention to enter the global race to mine the deep sea when it released an executive order calling for the development of the industry. Following the administration’s direction, in April 2026 the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced its plans to hold a series of seabed lease sales over the course of this year and into early next. The first one is slated for August in American Samoa, with subsequent lease sales planned for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Alaska. If these go forward, they could mark the first commercial lease processes for deep-sea mining anywhere in the world.
Critics say deep-sea mining could cause large-scale and irreversible damage to the marine environment, and some governments in areas slated for leasing have even taken steps to ban deep-sea mining. In 2024, the governor of American Samoa enacted a moratorium on seabed mining from its territorial waters, which extend 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometers) from its shorelines. And this month, the governor of Guam, a self-governing territory that shares its exclusive economic zone with the CNMI, signed a bill into law that banned deep-sea mining in its nearshore waters and prohibited the use of its port, a vital hub for the Western Pacific region, for seabed mining activities. Opponents also argue that the U.S. government is rushing the process to initiate these lease sales.
Supporters of the industry, including representatives from deep-sea mining companies, say it would be minimally invasive and procure critical minerals, and that development is proceeding at an appropriate pace.
Tony Romeo, the CEO of a newly formed deep-sea mining company based in South Carolina called Eco Minerals, pointed out that the U.S. has been developing its interest in the deep-sea mining industry since the 1980s. “From an industry perspective, this has been such a slow process,” he told Mongabay.