US to hold first auction for offshore areas near American Samoa — The Hill

The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced an auction to lease offshore areas near American Samoa for deep-sea mineral extraction. This will be the first time the US government offers areas for lease for mining at sea, The Hill reports.

Nearly 32 million acres up for auction

Nearly 32 million acres of marine territory are planned to be made available to companies. The administration expects valuable minerals to be extracted from the seabed. At the same time, large-scale deep-sea mining has not yet been carried out.

The auction is scheduled for November 19. Companies that win the auction will be able to conduct preliminary work, including mapping the areas. However, they will not receive automatic permission to directly begin extraction.

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Position of authorities and environmentalists

Acting director of the Ocean Minerals Administration Mike Olsen said that critical minerals are a strategic asset in global competition and are important for energy efficiency, defense and domestic supply chains. Earlier, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at accelerating the deep-sea mining process.

Environmental organization Oceana criticized the decision. Julia Singer, who heads the organization's campaign to protect the oceans, said that selling lease rights could pave the way for the exploitation of deep-sea areas despite warnings from scientists, local leaders and community members about the risks of such mining.

American Samoa is a US territory consisting of islands in the southern Pacific Ocean.