US territories in the Pacific have criticised a Trump administration proposal to explore and potentially extract deep-sea minerals near the Mariana Trench, as Washington pursues control of supplies it views as critical for technology and defence.

On Tuesday, the Marine Mineral Administration (MMA), a unit of the US Department of the Interior, published a plan to auction deep-sea mining leases covering 28m hectares (69m acres) of seafloor off the coasts of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. The administration has framed the effort as part of a wider contest with China for key ocean resources.

MMA Sets Out Lease Auction

The leases would allow companies to conduct seabed exploration and, if deposits prove viable, extract polymetallic nodules. The nodules contain minerals that can be used in batteries, electronics and defence-related technologies.

The proposal is likely to heighten concern among environmental groups, which have argued that deep-sea mining should not proceed before its impacts on marine ecosystems are better understood.

The Northern Mariana Islands is a self-governing US commonwealth, while Guam is an unincorporated territory.

Northern Marianas Warns Against Proceeding

David Apatang, governor of the Northern Marianas, said his administration would respond “with extreme caution” to the MMA proposal.

While acknowledging the strategic importance of critical minerals, Apatang said activities should not take place without what he described as rigorous scientific baseline studies, full transparency, and explicit protections for marine resources. He said the Northern Marianas government would “thoroughly examine the proposed terms over the next 60 days” to ensure ecological integrity and long-term wellbeing are protected.

The Guardian asked the MMA for comment.

Earlier, the MMA said it had completed an environmental review relating to proposed commercial leases for critical minerals in the Marianas area, and that it would consider comments submitted by the governor of the Northern Marianas.

Courtesy of The Guardian

Guam Rejects Risk Despite Security Rationale

Guam’s government also opposed the plan. In a statement, the office of the governor said the Trump administration had emphasised national security and strategic needs, but added that “national security cannot mean asking the people of the Pacific to accept environmental risks before those risks are fully understood”.

Joshua Tenorio, Guam’s lieutenant governor, said the territory was “unequivocally opposed” to deep-sea mining in the region. He told the Guardian that although the Department of the Interior had offered assurances that mining would not begin when licences are awarded, he said confidence was difficult because the process had been “rapidly evolving”.

Wider Pacific Push Spurs Further Objections

The MMA’s Marianas notice follows a separate leasing process for American Samoa. In recent weeks, the administration began moving towards leases covering 12.4m hectares (31m acres) of seafloor off American Samoa, with contracts expected to be awarded in November.

Nikolau Pula, governor of American Samoa, said his government remained opposed, arguing that extraction processes were not yet tested and could harm the territory’s tuna industry, which underpins its economy.

On 19 August, environmental groups in American Samoa and Hawaii launched legal proceedings aimed at blocking the US government’s proposed auction of seabed permits around the islands. They said federal agencies had failed to assess adequately the potentially destructive impact of mineral extraction on marine ecosystems.

In the Hawaii case, Fa’asao Ameika Samoa and the Conservation Council for Hawaii warned that the mining machinery “can destroy nearly all life in its path”. They also alleged that equipment would stir up sediments containing toxic substances that could enter marine food chains and smother seafloor ecosystems. The complaint further said that even exploration would introduce extremely loud noise into the marine environment, which could harm marine mammals and other wildlife.

The MMA was approached about concerns raised during the American Samoa leasing process.

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24 August 2026

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I think they'll find future generations won't be picking up US citizenship at this rate.

I can feel a new EO coming.

Not satisfy with destroying public and tribal land with oil and gas drilling approvals, he now set to destroy the sea. What a madman and the lunatic Right.

On paper the leasing looks orderly, but NOAA’s own assessments make it clear the risks aren’t theoretical. The big one is benthic wipe‑out - once those crawlers run, the deep‑sea floor doesn’t “recover”; it stays dead for centuries.

Add the sediment plumes, which NOAA modelling shows can drift far beyond the mining zone and carry heavy metals straight into pelagic waters, and you can see why American Samoa is twitchy about tuna.

Then there’s the acoustic shock. Exploration rigs generate noise levels comparable to seismic surveys, and NOAA has already logged behavioural disruption in migratory mammals at much lower intensities. Even “just surveying” can push sensitive species out of key corridors.

Sp the sensible read is this: the federal assurances sound calm, but the science underneath is blunt.

Once the leases are issued, the territories aren’t debating hypotheticals - they’re dealing with documented NOAA risks that directly touch their fisheries, ecosystems, and long‑term EEZ value.