Posted on November 11, 2025
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has announced significant progress in efforts to develop offshore critical minerals resources in the Pacific, completing Area Identification offshore American Samoa and launching a public comment period for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The moves represent the first concrete steps toward commercial leasing of seabed minerals and offshore seabed mining in U.S. Pacific territories, following President Trump’s April 2025 Executive Order calling for rapid development of domestic seabed mineral resources.
“The Pacific Outer Continental Shelf holds vast potential for critical minerals that power American manufacturing and defense technology,” said Acting BOEM Director Matt Giacona. “These resources are key to ensuring the United States is not reliant on China and other nations for its critical minerals needs.”
For American Samoa, BOEM has completed the area identification process, which determines specific areas that will undergo environmental review for proposed commercial leases. The environmental assessment will analyze leasing and preliminary characterization activities, with full consultation under environmental statutes including the National Historic Preservation Act.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs William Hague emphasized the potential economic benefits: “If done right, this could produce great economic return for our fellow Americans in the territory.”
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The Area ID followed a Request for Information published in June 2025, which received input from industry, the public, and local perspectives. The comment period was extended at the request of American Samoa’s Governor.
For the Northern Mariana Islands, BOEM will publish a Request for Information in the Federal Register on November 12, opening a 30-day comment period through December 12. The RFI seeks input on mineral resource potential, environmental and cultural significance, and possible conflicts with maritime or fishing activities.
BOEM stressed that neither action constitutes a decision to lease. Any potential lease sale would require additional Federal Register publications, environmental reviews under NEPA, and compliance with all applicable federal laws.
The initiatives align with broader Interior Department policy changes announced in June to streamline offshore critical minerals development. Those changes extended prospecting permits from three to five years and eliminated requirements for formal requests for information before identifying development areas—potentially saving months or years in the approval process.
U.S. waters are estimated to contain one billion metric tons of polymetallic nodules rich in manganese, nickel, copper, and other critical minerals essential for manufacturing, technology, and defense applications.
The American Samoa process began when Impossible Metals submitted a formal lease sale request to BOEM in April 2025, marking the first such request in over 30 years.
While the U.S. can authorize mining within its territorial waters, international waters present complex jurisdictional issues. The International Seabed Authority, established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea—which the U.S. has not ratified—continues to debate standards for deep-sea mining, particularly regarding environmental impacts.
Environmental groups have raised concerns about potential impacts on marine biodiversity, while supporters argue offshore mining could reduce dependence on land-based operations and foreign mineral sources.
