Trump drives global calls to stop deep-sea mining

The Trump administration took the next step toward unilaterally starting deep-sea mining this week, announcing a “unified” permit process for searching for and extracting minerals commercially that has so far remained relatively unchanged.

These minerals are found so deep in the sea that they lie outside any country’s national jurisdiction, which is why President Trump has drawn outrage with his efforts to override international mining law. A group of scientists and ocean advocates warn that disturbing the deep seafloor could trigger a cascade of unforeseen consequences that could ultimately harm coastal communities around the world.

These concerns were enough to prompt some companies that might benefit from a new source of these minerals — sought after for producing rechargeable batteries for electric cars, renewable energy, and all kinds of gadgets — to pledge not to use any of the materials sourced from the deep sea. It is spread in the deep sea Polymineral nodules They contain nickel, cobalt, manganese and other metals used in rechargeable batteries.

New rules of the Trump administration Announce That would make it easier for American companies to start harvesting those minerals. Typically, they first apply for an exploration license that allows them to begin surveying and studying the site. After that, they may apply for a commercial recovery permit. Now, they will be able to apply for both at the same time. It also truncates the environmental review process, since a standardized application may only require one environmental impact statement.

Updated rules set by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) follow a new path Executive order Trump signed last April Requiring federal agencies to expedite the permitting process in order to “counter China’s growing influence over seabed mineral resources.”

Other leaders accused the Trump administration of violating international law by doing so. Established by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) He says “The unilateral exploitation of resources that do not belong to any single nation but to all of humanity is prohibited.”

On the other hand, the Trump administration claims in A A document consisting of 113 pages Posted yesterday that NOAA can “issue licenses and permits to US citizens in areas beyond national jurisdiction” under the law 1980 US Deep Seabed Solid Mineral Resources Act. The document also argues that the Law of the Sea regulates deep seabed mining only for countries that are parties to the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC), which the United States has not joined.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has reached a dead end in its attempts to finalize a formal mining law that will govern how any commercial deep-sea mining proceeds. Forty countries have called for Endowment Or ban deep-sea mining because there is still so little humanity understands about the seabed and the ripple effects that could result from disturbing it. As did some car companies and technology companies including Apple and Google He supported the moratorium; Solar company Sunrun joined last month.

“By rapid mining in unexplored areas of the deep ocean, the Trump administration is practically inviting environmental disaster,” Emily Jeffers, a senior staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an emailed statement to Reuters. Edge. “Deep sea mining could change the ocean forever, but Trump officials are essentially just approving the exploitation of these poorly understood ecosystems.”