MANY MINDEDUS moves to auction seabed mining leases near American Samoa
On July 17, the US Marine Minerals Administration announced plans to hold a seabed mining lease sale on November 19 in Camarillo, California. The MMA is a newly created agency formed by merging the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The proposed leases cover nearly 127,500 square kilometers of seabed around American Samoa, with 20-year terms available to winning bidders.
The terms set a minimum bid of $3 million for each of two lease areas, with royalties starting at $1.25 per acre in year 11 and rising over time. The sale would not be open to the public but would be live streamed, and the governor of American Samoa has 60 days to comment. Acting director Matt Giacona framed the notice as advancing a secure domestic critical minerals supply chain and national security. The Trump administration has signaled similar plans for the Northern Mariana Islands, Alaska, and Virginia.
We log this as friction. The proposed area sits adjacent to the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, a protected zone, and deep-sea ecosystems are poorly understood. Mining them risks damage that cannot be undone, gating a shared ocean commons for private extraction before its value as an intact system is even measured. Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka of the Finafinau Foundation opposes the plan.
What to watch: the MMA stresses the notice does not guarantee a sale, exploration, or collection will occur, and the environmental impacts remain disputed. The governor's comment window and the November date are the near-term markers.
Source: Mongabay