The Trump administration is pushing forward with deep-sea mining plans in the western Pacific, nearly doubling the proposed area around American Samoa and targeting waters near the Marianas Trench for the first time. This move has drawn strong opposition from Indigenous leaders concerned about impacts on fisheries and culture. Despite calls for consent, the federal government is proceeding with an environmental review.
The Trump administration's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced plans this week to expand deep-sea mining ambitions to the region around the Marianas Trench, a U.S. national marine monument in the western Pacific. This marks the first indication of interest in mining the waters surrounding the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory comprising 14 islands with about 44,000 residents, including Indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian peoples.
The proposed mining area west of the monument spans 35 million acres, with its southernmost point between the islands of Rota and Guam. A notice in the Federal Register opens the plan to public comment until December 12. BOEM emphasized that the request for input "does not constitute a decision to hold a lease sale but rather invites and encourages input from territorial and local governments, Indigenous communities, industry, ocean users, and the public."
Separately, the administration is nearly doubling the seabed mining area around American Samoa from 18 million acres to 33 million acres, an expanse larger than Peru. This disregards a moratorium imposed by Indigenous leaders last year. Governor Pulaali’i Nikolao Pula has urged the federal government not to proceed without the territory's consent, but an environmental review is planned.
Nathan Ilaoa, director of American Samoa’s Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources, highlighted the stakes: “Our fisheries are essential for food security, recreation, and the perpetuation of our Samoan culture.” Tuna accounts for 99.5 percent of the territory’s exports.
BOEM acting director Matt Giacona defended the push, stating, “These resources are key to ensuring the United States is not reliant on China and other nations for its critical minerals needs.” The initiative follows an April executive order accelerating offshore mining, targeting at least four Pacific areas, including waters around the Cook Islands and the Clarion-Clipperton Zone south of Hawaiʻi.
Scientists express alarm over ecological risks. A recent University of Hawaiʻi study found that mining-generated sediment plumes could harm zooplankton, reducing food quality by 10 to 100 times and potentially collapsing ocean food webs. Lead author Michael Dowd warned, “Because this is such a tightly linked, such a tight community food web, that will have these bottom-up impacts where zooplankton will starve and then the micronekton (that eat them) will starve and this community could collapse.”
In the Northern Mariana Islands, amid an economic downturn from declining tourism, local reactions are mixed. Floyd Masga, head of the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, said, “Success will depend on careful environmental management, respect for local and Indigenous interests, and transparent, science-based decision-making to ensure development aligns with both national and regional priorities.”