Washington, D.C — Trump administration has announced a proposed deep sea mining lease sale in federal waters near American Samoa, marking the world’s first attempt to commercially mine the deep sea. The move is a major step toward opening U.S. waters to commercial deep sea mining and comes despite mounting opposition from Pacific Indigenous leaders, Pacific communities, and civil society groups. 

Arlo Hemphill, Greenpeace USA Oceans Are Life Campaign Lead, said: “The Trump administration is attempting to launch the world’s first commercial deep sea mining lease sale despite clear opposition from Pacific communities and major unanswered scientific questions. Pacific peoples are being asked to shoulder the risks of a destructive new industry enabling corporations to chase profits in one of the last wild places on earth.”

The announcement comes after American Samoa imposed a moratorium on seabed mining in its waters and formally opposed federal proposals to mine the outer continental shelf near the territory. An April document issued by the newly redesignated Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) outlined plans for lease sales in American Samoa in August 2026 and indicated funding for tribal and Pacific Islands outreach would only follow the lease sales, a clear breach in the consultation of affected communities. 

“The federal government is moving forward with a decision affecting Pacific communities before meaningful consultation has even begun — scheduling outreach after the lease sale, not before it,” added Hemphill. 

Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka, founder of American Samoa’s Finafinau Foundation said: “Pacific people have made our position clear: we do not want deep sea mining in our waters. Yet the Federal Government is forcing this industry on our communities – imposing decisions that could affect us permanently without consulting us. Our ocean is our home, our food, our culture, and our future, and we are calling on the Administration to stop this reckless lease sale before irreversible harm is done.” 

Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, which were also identified in MMA documents for future lease sales, have similarly expressed opposition to deep sea mining proposals. Their opposition includes a recent call by both governors for a moratorium on the practice. More than 3,000 residents from U.S. territories have signed petitions opposing the industry’s launch in the region. And on June 5th the governor of Guam signed a ban in nearshore waters under territorial control.

Solomon “Uncle Sol” Pili Kahoʻohalahala, a Native Hawaiian Elder of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Advisory Council and Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group, said: “The Pacific has already seen what happens when governments and corporations treat our ocean as something to exploit instead of a living system that sustains our people. Indigenous leaders across the Pacific are standing together against deep sea mining because we know the risks will not stop at our shorelines. The ocean connects our communities across generations, and Pacific peoples will continue protecting it.”