President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at boosting the deep-sea mining industry to access critical minerals, reducing reliance on China and increasing jobs and GDP. The move has drawn support from those who see deep-sea mining as a way to lessen the need for land-based operations, but environmental groups warn of irreversible biodiversity loss. The order directs the expedited review of seabed mining permits to establish a process for issuing permits along the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and in international waters, which may spark friction with the international community. Companies such as The Metals Company and Impossible Metals are already lining up to mine U.S. waters, with hopes of extracting valuable materials from the Pacific Ocean. With U.S. access to critical minerals dwindling due to Chinese export limits, efforts to boost domestic mining have gained urgency. The Trump administration has fast-tracked permitting on multiple mining projects and implemented an abbreviated approval process for mining projects on federal lands. This executive order signifies the government’s efforts to secure U.S. access to critical minerals and boost the economy through deep-sea mining, although it faces opposition from environmental groups concerned about the impact on marine ecosystems.
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