Comment Now

Your comments are invited now on the first seabed mining lease to be offered in the sensitive waters offshore American Samoa.

Safeguarding and sustaining American Samoa’s unique culture and way of life is dependent upon the continued protection of its marine resources and environment.

The U.S. Department of Interior is soliciting public input until July 16, 2025 on its proposal to authorize destructive seabed mining in American Samoa’s 200-mile Economic Zone.  This plan ignores Samoa’s Executive Order 0006-2024, which implements a moratorium on deep seabed mining exploration and exploitation activities.

Deep sea mining would put at risk a region impacting Swains Island that noted marine scientist Jacques Cousteau called “One of the Last Jewels of the Planet”.  The waters surrounding American Samoa are home to diverse and vibrant marine ecosystems upon which the cultural heritage and economic well-being of the territory depend.  The locally-based fishing fleet relies on a healthy fishery and access to fishing grounds to support the tuna industry, a major driver of the economy of American Samoa.

The disturbance of the seafloor by any of the still-experimental robotic mining systems can damage marine life far from the mining site and disrupt the natural processes of the ocean floor for thousands of years.  It is estimated that it would take 125 years for nature to deposit the layer of sediment that seabed mining would produce in just two days, smothering the seabed at up to 23,000 times the rate of natural sedimentation and disrupting the role the seabed plays as a significant global carbon sink.  A 2020 study from Japan documented a 43% reduction in fish density due to sediment plumes from exploratory seabed mining.

In recognition of the sensitivity and productivity of these waters, the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa was first designated 40 years ago.  In addition, the National Park of American Samoa shelters a tropical preserve of rainforest and coral reef covering 14 square miles established in 1988. This protected reef supports nearly 900 species of fish.

Please comment now with two clicks to let the Interior Department know what you think about proposed deep sea mining around American Samoa.

The “Request for Information” (RFI), issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, allows only a 30-day public comment period before what would be the first mineral lease sale in federal waters in over 30 years. 

The agency is now seeking input from a wide range of voices—American Samoa’s Indigenous community, ocean users, industry, government agencies and the general public. 

Time is short. Your comments can focus on cultural heritage considerations, current ocean uses such as navigation and fishing, whether or not there would be any type of environmental safeguards that might work. 

You may submit written comments electronically using Regulations.gov, docket No. BOEM-2025-0035. Comments must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on July 16, 2025.

You may also submit written comments by mail. Enclose your comment in an envelope labeled, “American Samoa RFI” addressed to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Pacific Region, Office of Strategic Resources, 760 Paseo Camarillo, Ste. 102, Camarillo, CA 93010. Comments must be postmarked no later than July 16, 2025.

To view a 20-minute documentary film about the hazards associated with seabed mining, see http://thedeepmovie.org/