By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau KOROR, 31 AUGUST 2026 (PACNEWS)—Pacific civil society organisations are maintaining their call for a ban on deep sea mining, warning Pacific leaders that seabed extraction could expose countries to major legal, financial and environmental liabilities. The warning was made during a civil society interview at the Pacific Media Workshop […]
Tag: critical minerals
Posted inPacific News
Fears unregulated mining could imperil Pacific nations
CANBERRA, 24 AUGUST 2026 (AAP) — Commercial deep-sea mining in the Pacific could begin in months without policy guardrails due to increasing rivalry between the U.S and China over critical minerals, a new report warns. Analysis by the Lowy Institute has found mining could start as early as 2027, with the floor of the Pacific […]
Posted inWorld News
Fresh concerns over radioactive risks from deep sea mining near American Sāmoa
PAGOPAGO, 22 JULY 2026 (PMN) — A new scientific warning is adding to growing Pacific opposition as the United States moves ahead with plans to auction offshore deep-sea mining leases near American Sāmoa later this year. Researchers and environmental groups say mining could release naturally occurring radioactive materials into the ocean, raising fresh questions about […]
Posted inPacific News
U.S envoy says Cook Islands minerals are a top priority
WELLINGTON, 06 JULY2026 (REUTERS)— The new U.S Ambassador to New Zealand and several Pacific Island nations said on Friday that securing Cook Islands seabed minerals was a top priority, and that China’s push for influence in the Pacific carried risks for small island states. Jared Novelly, U.S Ambassador to New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue […]
Posted inIn Focus
Experts say ‘bare bones’ U.S laws are unfit to regulate nascent deep-sea mining industry
By Elizabeth Claire Alberts WASHINGTON, 11 JUNE 2026 (MONGABAY) — The deep-sea mining industry could launch in the near future in U.S federal waters. Yet legal experts and former government officials warn that the regulations that would govern this industry are outdated and lack important oversight provisions. In April 2025, the Trump administration signaled its […]
Posted inIn Focus
U.S prepares to auction leases for seabed mining blocks in federal waters
WASHINGTON, 28 MAY 2026 (MONGABAY) — The U.S agency responsible for overseeing deep-sea mining in federal waters is preparing to auction off seabed blocks within months — a step that could kick-start commercial-scale deep-sea mining and make the U.S one of the first countries to allow it. Deep-sea mining has not yet begun anywhere in […]