The US Plans to Auction Off Ocean Areas Near American Samoa for Deep-Sea Mining

The U.S. government has announced plans to auction off a huge section of ocean near American Samoa, a U.S. territory in the South Pacific. The area up for sale covers about 33 million acres — roughly 51,560 square miles of open water. Officials want to allow companies to mine the ocean floor there for valuable minerals. The plan was made public on a Friday, and it has already sparked strong reactions from local communities, scientists, and other countries.

The minerals found on the seafloor include copper, iron, zinc, and others that are used to make technology, military equipment, and electric vehicles. U.S. officials say getting these minerals is important for national security. Matt Giacona, a top official at the U.S. Marine Minerals Administration, said that China controls a large share of the world's supply of these materials. He warned that this creates serious risks for America's energy, defense, and manufacturing industries.

Deep-sea mining means going to the bottom of the ocean — sometimes more than 20,000 feet deep — to pull up rocks and minerals. Scientists have raised serious concerns about what this could do to ocean life. They warn that mining could create loud noise, bright lights, and massive clouds of dust underwater. These effects could harm fragile sea creatures that live in the deep ocean, many of which are not well understood by scientists yet.

More than 43 countries have called for a pause or complete ban on deep-sea mining while more research is done. The International Seabed Authority, a United Nations organization based in Jamaica, normally oversees rules for mining in international waters. However, the area near American Samoa falls within U.S.-controlled waters, so the authority said it has no say in this decision. The U.S. has chosen to move forward on its own, breaking from the approach taken by past administrations.

People in American Samoa are speaking out strongly against the plan. Seumalu Elora Raymond, a spokesperson for a local community group called Fa'asao Amerika Samoa, said the U.S. government is ignoring the voices of the people whose waters, traditions, and livelihoods are at stake. She made clear that her community will fight to protect their ocean and culture. The government of American Samoa has already banned deep-sea mining in its own local waters and did not immediately comment on the federal plan.

Environmental groups are also pushing back hard. The nonprofit legal organization Earthjustice accused the U.S. of ignoring American Samoan concerns. Attorney J.V. Langkilde said the Trump administration is trying to make American Samoa one of the first test sites for an industry that has never been proven safe. Critics say the government is moving too fast without understanding the full environmental risks.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said the ocean areas being considered have water depths between 4,600 and 20,000 feet. The area sits about 57 miles from the Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, a protected zone for wildlife. Officials said companies would first be allowed to study the area — doing surveys and collecting samples — before any actual mining could begin. The bureau also admitted there are gaps in the data, especially in deeper waters where ocean life is not well documented.

The bureau said it could offer either two large leases covering about 17 million acres each, or five smaller leases covering about 7 million acres each. Any real mining would need a separate plan approved by the government after an environmental review. The U.S. has not joined a key international ocean treaty, so a different agency — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA — handles mining permits instead. In April, President Trump signed an executive order telling NOAA to speed up the process for approving seafloor mining permits.