Overview:
Industry leaders and U.S. lawmakers are pushing deep-sea mining near Guam and the CNMI as a national security priority, citing competition with China for critical minerals. Indigenous leaders and Pacific lawmakers, however, warn the rush could sideline island voices, threaten cultural values, and place environmental and ethical risks on local communities.
WASHINGTON, 02 FEBRUARY 2026 (GUAM PACIFIC DAILY NEWS)—Industry leaders recently testified before a U.S House of Representatives committee to discuss regulatory and statutory hurdles facing deep-sea mining near Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, where the importance of national security strategy was countered with advocacy for islands’ voices and cultural values.
Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, said deep-sea mining has the potential for billions of tons of critical minerals that could be used to fuel supply chains in critical industries, including defence.
“The ocean mineral exploration industry needs the certainty of a swift, clearly defined permitting, oversight and approval process to build the confidence to invest and to build and to develop these critical resources that our economy so sorely needs,” he told members of the House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Committee.
While highlighting the substantial promise the industry could bring, Milito also cautioned lawmakers of the repercussions the U.S could face in falling behind against China.
“If this was a marathon, China is at mile 20 and we’re just starting out,” he said. “We need to get into this race and we need to win this race because of course, from a national security standpoint, the consequences are tremendous when facing an adversarial rival like China.”
Republican Rep. Pete Stauber, of Minnesota, who chaired the hearing, shared these concerns, saying deep-sea mining is a matter of geopolitical urgency.
“Failing to build our processing capacity continues to enable China to expand their control over our supply chains and hamstring our national security,” Stauber said, adding that “China is expanding their reach and racing to dominate deep-sea mining.”
Andrew Thaler, a deep-sea ecologist with more than 15 years of experience studying the environmental impacts of seabed mining, warned that complexities and challenges would arise in overseeing a large offshore mining operation without local support or consent.
“A rush towards commercial mining without first building significant relationships within these communities is unlikely to produce a successful venture,” he said.
Thaler also framed the lack of local support as an ethical concern, a stance that was shared by some lawmakers, including Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona.
“Before Congress allows deep-sea mining to move forward, we must stop, listen and put real protections in place,” Grijalva said.
“Protections that respect Indigenous sovereignty, protect sacred ecosystems and ensure communities are not forced to carry all the risk for someone else’s profit.”
Grijalva entered written statements into the hearing record from Indigenous leaders of Guam, American Samoa and the CNMI, saying that “when Indigenous voices are ignored, the result is always the same.”
“Sacred place is destroyed, water is contaminated, and communities are left to deal with the damage,” she said.
Ranking members Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and Jared Huffman of California echoed these sentiments, warning that deep-sea mining could come at a cost to the fisheries, cultural practices and way of life of the people living on Guam and the CNMI.
“We’ve seen how tribal nations are left out of decisions that affect their sacred lands,” Ansari said. “I don’t want to see Pacific Island communities face the same fate.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, expedited the approval process for seabed mining licenses and permits.
“This consolidation modernizes the law and supports the America First agenda by enabling U.S. companies to access these resources more quickly, strengthening our nation’s economic resilience and advancing the discovery and use of critical seafloor minerals,” NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs said in a statement announcing the accelerated permit process.
Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and others will be heading to Washington D.C on 16 February to, among other things, lobby against deep-sea mining.
“We are going to be very united in our position of opposing any kind of deep-sea mining harvesting till we get more data, information and scientific studies that can better guide us and recommend to us what’s best for our environment,” Leon Guerrero earlier told the Pacific Daily News.…PACNEWS