In his latest move to secure US access to critical minerals, President Donald Trump has issued an executive order supporting deep-sea mining (DSM) within US and international waters. The order said it was important to “established the United States as a global leader in responsible seabed mineral exploration”. To do this, the US will speed up the issuance of exploration licences and recovery permits in both national and international waters. The Trump administration has estimated that DSM could boost the country’s GDP by US$300 billion over ten years and create 100,000 jobs. However, this move appears to bypass ongoing negotiations by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) on mining in international waters. Other jurisdictions, such as the EU and UK, have supported a moratorium on the practice until further scientific research on the potential environmental risks is carried out. “Fast-tracking DSM by bypassing the ISA’s global regulatory processes would set a dangerous precedent and would be a violation of customary international law,” said Duncan Currie, Legal Adviser for the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition. “The ramifications could be far reaching even beyond DSM itself, impact other important sectors covered by the [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea], such as fisheries, freedom of navigation, shipping, marine scientific research, marine protection and maritime boundaries.”
