Yesterday the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ignored the voices of 60,000 public comments and issued a proposed leasing notice for the seabed surrounding the Mariana Trench. This is a key step in selling off 69 million acres of the American seafloor to the mining industry, an area about the size of Nevada.
A new video from the Center from American Progress explores the deep sea mining crisis in the US Pacific territories, which it criticizes as “resource colonialism.” The video includes interviews with Dr. Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka of Finafinau in American Samoa, and Dr. Steven Mana’oakamai Johnson of Cornell University and Angelo Villagomez, who are both from the Northern Mariana Islands.
Here’s what people are saying about Trump’s scheme to mine the deep sea near the Mariana Trench and American Samoa:
“After tens of thousands of people spoke out against seabed mining, BOEM chose to advance this lease sale anyway. A 60-day review offered to a single government official is not meaningful public participation, and it is not community consent. For the people of the Marianas, the ocean is not an inventory of minerals waiting to be sold. It is the foundation of our culture, our food security, and our future. Our community has already made its position clear: speculative seabed mining has no social license here. BOEM must stop this lease sale and respect the stewardship, self-determination, and voices of the people who call the Marianas home.” —Sheila Babauta, Friends of the Mariana Trench
“Alongside the Chamorro, Refaluwasch, and residents of the Mariana Islands, over 130 scientists asked that the federal government be more inclusive and attentive to the needs of the local communities and ecologies. How deep-sea ecosystems will respond to these activities remains largely unknown, and the social impacts are already underway, with clearly visible frustrations within the community. Venturing ahead without community consent and a thin scientific basis for these actions is likely to lead to undesirable outcomes for all parties involved in the short, medium, and long term.” —Dr. Steven Mana‘oakamai Johnson, Tåno, Tåsi, yan Todu
“Trump’s attempt to mine the seabed of the Mariana Trench will only benefit far off corporate interests, while the people who call these islands home will be left with all the costs and none of the benefits. Any damage that happens from mining in this area presents permanent and irreversible risks to fragile ecosystems. The administration is again ignoring the overwhelming concerns voiced by the people and local governments.” —Angelo Villagomez, Center for American Progress
“What is happening in the Marianas is painfully familiar because American Samoa has already been pushed down this same path. BOEM may divide these lease areas by federal boundaries, but our ocean does not recognize those lines. The Pacific is not a testing ground, our ocean is not an industrial frontier, and our people should not have to repeatedly prove that our home is worth more than what can be extracted from beneath it. Different islands, same ocean, same message: our home is not for sale.We are People of the Ocean, and protecting one another is part of protecting home.” —Dr. Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka, Finafinau
“For more than 125 years, the United States government has maintained colonial rule over its territories, utilizing them as testing grounds for undemocratic and extractive policies—a dynamic currently reflected in the forced implementation of deep seabed mining in American Samoa and the Marianas. It is imperative that all communities unite in solidarity with these populations; actions taken regarding their marine environments without consent will inevitably serve as a precedent for similar measures across other territories and vulnerable communities. The insidious nature of colonial governance undermines and ultimately impacts democracy in all regions.” —Dr. Adi G. Martinez-Roman, Right to Democracy
“From the Mariana Islands to Alaska to Virginia, tens of thousands of people across the United States have made it clear that they oppose speculative seabed mining ventures because these companies use unproven technology that jeopardizes their livelihoods. The proposed lease sales off the Mariana Islands put regional fisheries, community resilience, and irreplaceable deep-sea ecosystems at grave risk. The people of the Mariana Islands deserve to have their concerns thoroughly addressed before the waters they depend on are handed over to the highest bidder.” —Dr. Miriam Goldstein, National Ocean Protection Coalition
“The Coalition of Law Students Against Deep Sea Mining, law students and legal professionals across the country stand against the proposed leasing notice to mine the deep sea of CNMI. Legal jurisprudence in this country has continuously reflected the will of Americans to protect our many natural wonders. The United States has been a world leader in environmental protection, evidenced by the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, among many others. Mining the Deep Sea would violate all of these acts, and it would be done against the wishes of thousands of Americans and residents who call these waters home. As legal professionals, we call on our government to follow the law, to listen to the voices of its citizens, and to cease this lease sale.” —Maria Guillamont, Coalition of Law Students Against Deep Sea Mining
“The U.S. government wants to sell off our seafloor to the highest bidder. People want a healthy ocean–not this. Look at social media: there is no social license for seabed mining. Thousands of posts across Instagram and TikTok call for a seabed mining moratorium. Decisions like leasing off our seafloor are the ones we will regret but are really difficult to take back. Our seafloor is not for sale.” —Mark Haver, FutureSwell