Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Conservation groups are trying to stop what would be the first U.S. sale of deep-sea mining rights off American Samoa, arguing that federal wildlife officials approved the move without fully examining risks to endangered species.

HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW

As Courthouse News reported, opponents say the fight is not just about a mineral auction but the chain reaction from it. 

In the waters at issue, where Samoan families have long followed sacred sea turtles and viewed sharks as ancestral guardians, a sale could threaten both marine life and cultural ties, conservation groups cautioned.

Set for November, the proposed sale would offer two seabed leases covering over 31 million acres northeast of the Manu'a Islands.

In response, Earthjustice sued in federal court in Honolulu on behalf of Fa'asao Amerika Samoa and the Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi, naming the National Marine Fisheries Service and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

"The United States has never opened its waters to deep-sea mining," Earthjustice said. "Until now."

The lawsuit focuses on a four-page letter the fisheries service issued in February. In it, the agency said the lease sale was not expected to harm about 60 endangered or threatened species identified in its review, according to Courthouse News.

Plaintiffs say that review skipped the central issue by focusing on preliminary activity instead of the mining the leases could permit. Officials reportedly looked at steps such as sonar surveys and seafloor sampling but not later exploration, testing, development, and production.

"The machinery can destroy nearly all life in its path," the lawsuit states, as the outlet noted.

MORE BACKGROUND

Interest in nickel, cobalt, and manganese is part of why the planned leases target areas containing polymetallic nodules, which Courthouse News described as potato-sized deposits. The lawsuit says there is limited understanding of the ecological consequences of removing them from the deep ocean.

The outlet noted that no commercial seabed mining operation exists anywhere in the world. Even so, the United States could be moving toward a major offshore mining sale before the potential effects are understood.

According to Courthouse News, the plaintiffs cite testing elsewhere that showed mining can send sediment plumes that smother coral reefs over 60 miles away. They also say ecosystems could take over a century to recover from a single disturbance.

For American Samoa, the concern goes beyond environmental damage. Harm to whales, turtles, coral, and other marine life could ripple through ecosystems that shape community identity and the health of waters that hold deep importance for local families.

WHAT’S BEING DONE?

The response is the lawsuit, which seeks to pause the lease sale until federal officials complete a more thorough endangered species review.

Before the sale can proceed, the National Marine Fisheries Service has a required gatekeeping role. As Courthouse News reported, the agency must determine whether the action would put Endangered Species Act-listed species at risk or damage critical habitat.

The auction is expected to be run by the Marine Minerals Administration, created by combining the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.