US territory lacks authority over deep-sea mining in its waters

A US governor has no control over deep-sea mining activities in her territory's exclusive economic zone, highlighting jurisdictional gaps in ocean resource management.

First covered Sep 16, 2026 · 1:45 AM PT · 1 article · no longer in the live window

US territory lacks authority over deep-sea mining in its waters — Image via grist.org

Coverage

10d Grist She governs a US territory. But she has no say in who mines its waters.

Primary sources

americansamoa.gov 4Bfff9 Cea25F51Dcb84D0Bbe5Bbac7Db513477 (americansamoa.gov)

boem.gov Proposed%20Ln%20 %20Ocs%20Mineral%20Sale%20 %20Cnmi%20Pacm 2 (boem.gov)

govinfo.gov Statute 64 Pg384 (govinfo.gov)

More coverage from around the web

news.mongabay.com Deep-sea mining interests raise alarms among Mariana Trench communities

samoanews.com Op-Ed: Deep-Sea Mining Did Not Arrive Overnight | American Samoa | Samoa News

goldbergsegalla.com Jurisdiction at Depth: Updating U.S. Deep-Sea Mining Policy Under Executive Order 14285 - Goldberg Segalla

congress.gov Seabed Mining in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: Issues for Congress | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

csis.org Trump’s Deep-Sea Mining Executive Order: The Race for Critical Minerals Enters Uncharted Waters | CSIS

Appeared in: 2026-09-16 (#20) · 2026-09-17 (#15)

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