Area for deep sea mining in Marianas doubled, now 46 miles from Guam

There's a major development in the Trump Administration’s push for deep sea mining in the Marianas. Federal officials have doubled the area under consideration to nearly 70 million acres, bringing potential mining operations significantly closer to Guam, now less than 50 miles away. 

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is moving ahead with a key step in a proposal to mine the ocean floor in Guam's region. In a memo released Thursday, BOEM identified more than 69 million acres for possible development, roughly double the original area of 35.5 million acres. 

The expansion now includes zones both east and west of the Northern Mariana Islands. The western area is the closest, now just 46 miles from Guam.  

Angelo Villagomez told KUAM News, "For both Saipan and for Guam, most of the sandy white beaches that the tourists like to visit are on the west side. And now the west side, it’s now close enough that if you were on top of Mount Lam Lam, you would be able to see where they’re going to be doing the deep sea mining. It’s very, very close to shore now." Villagomez Is a senior fellow for policy with the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan research and educational institute.  

While BOEM stresses this is not approval to mine, but a step toward possible leasing and environmental review, Villagomez is skeptical about the review process moving forward. "It’s unfortunate that the Trump Administration is not listening to the voices of the American people who find this to be widely unpopular," he shared.

BOEM acknowledged more than 65,000 public comments were submitted, including opposition from Guam’s governor and legislature, and calls for caution from CNMI leaders, along with concerns raised by scientists, businesses, and organizations worldwide.

"Of those 65,000 comments, they only responded to about 300 of them," he continued. "Even though the volume of the comments was overwhelmingly in opposition, there were about three of them from mining companies and those weighed much heavier than the tens of thousands of Americans in the Marianas and all across the country who are opposed to this."

At the same time, the proposal was expanded, partly based on industry interest in mineral rich areas. The seabed is believed to contain cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements, minerals the Trump Administration says are critical for national security.

But the memo also states no commercially viable deposits have been confirmed, with Villagomez saying, "Not only are they looking at an area east to the Marianas, now they’re looking at an area to the west of the Marianas and it’s about twice as close as the old area."

For Guam and the CNMI, the concern is how close and what could follow. The memo noted comments warning of sediment plumes that could travel hundreds of miles, threats to marine ecosystems, and risks to fisheries, including the $5.5 billion Pacific tuna industry.

"The damages are kind of unknown of what’s going to happen, but it’s expected to be bad. It just means it’s going to be that much closer to our shores and it’s going to be happening on both sides of our islands," said Villagomez.

There are also concerns about impacts to indigenous communities and no guarantee of local economic benefits. 

In the meantime, the next step is a federal environmental review before any decision on whether mining will move forward. The process could still take years, with public input required before any lease sale is approved.