Today, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing to examine deep-sea mining’s potential to increase U.S. mineral production. Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) issued the following statement in response:

"Exploring mineral-rich seabed mining possibilities to address the growing demand for critical minerals is an innovative consideration in Congress’ approach towards securing America’s supply chains while lessening our dependence on foreign sources for those minerals.”

Background

Minerals, particularly critical minerals, are essential to modern life. The House Committee on Natural Resources has repeatedly emphasized the importance of critical minerals and securing American mineral supply chains, including a hearing on critical minerals and national security held earlier this year. As congressional Republicans and the Trump administration continue to champion an all-of-the-above approach to energy and mineral security, some experts are looking to the ocean floor as a source of critical resources. The sea floor is lined with critical and other hardrock minerals, most often found in polymetallic nodules that sit exposed and contain multiple minerals, often in concentrations greater than found on land.

Seabed mining in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is regulated by the Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM). To date, BOEM has not held any lease sales for minerals on the sea floor that could meet the growing demand for critical minerals. This failure to lease areas within the U.S. EEZ is largely due to a fatal flaw in BOEM’s regulatory scheme that poses a heavy economic burden and unnecessary risk on aspiring American seabed mining operations.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regulates U.S. entities’ seabed mining in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). NOAA has previously issued exportation licenses for ABNJ sites, and at least one American company is seeking new licenses using NOAA’s regulatory scheme.

On Thursday, April 24, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order, “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources,” which establishes the United States’ interest in “maintaining leadership in deep sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources.” The order also acknowledges the economic and national security issues surrounding the critical resources available in the seabed.

In today’s hearing, members questioned experts about the process and potential for seabed mining and the need for regulatory and permitting reform to increase access to these resources.