Public comment period is open: No to deep sea mining

Stand in solidarity with Pacific communities and send a resounding message during the public comment period: The deep sea is not for sale.

Pamela, Breaking: The Department of the Interior recently announced interest to explore the potential for seabed mineral leasing off the shore of American Samoa — a U.S. territory where Indigenous Peoples and local government have expressed opposition to deep sea mining in these waters. The Pacific is not a sacrifice zone. Its people should not be forced to host a destructive industry they've clearly rejected. Stand in solidarity with Pacific communities and send a resounding message during the public comment period: The deep sea is not for sale. This announcement follows Trump's executive order advancing deep sea mining in both U.S. and international waters — a move widely condemned by environmental organizations, Pacific Indigenous leaders, and other nations. Impossible Metals, a deep sea mining company, submitted a request to commence a leasing process for the exploration and potential mining of critical minerals in the deep sea off the coast of American Samoa. This move disregards the voices of Pacific communities and opens the door to an industry that threatens their environment, culture, and livelihoods. We should not allow that to happen. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has opened a public comment period to hear from you. Send a message now to protect the deep sea and demand better for American Samoans. Deep sea mining poses irreversible threats to biodiversity, imperils fragile ecosystems, and could have unforeseen impacts on the ocean's carbon cycle, potentially impacting the climate crisis. The proposed mining area is also dangerously close to Rose Atoll, an ocean sanctuary protected under the U.S. national marine monument system as an area of exceptional value to marine life. But all hope is not lost. As of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, which concluded in mid-June, 37 countries have now publicly supported a moratorium on deep sea mining. There has also been significant progress toward ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty, a key agreement towards the goal of protecting at least 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 — a critical threshold scientists say is needed to restore marine health and safeguard biodiversity. To meet this target, protection must extend across both national and international waters. Countries must not only ratify the Global Ocean Treaty, but also take bold domestic action to ban unsustainable extractive industries, such as deep sea mining, and ensure that local and Indigenous communities are at the center of marine conservation planning and decision-making processes. Will you take a stand with us and push back against deep sea mining offshore of American Samoa? For our oceans, Greenpeace USA Paid for by GREENPEACE, INC.   Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Progress America, please click here.