On Thursday, April 24, United States President Trump signed an executive order to accelerate the licensing process for deep-sea metals and critical mineral extraction, promoting the comprehensive development of underwater resources. The White House emphasized that this move aims to counter China’s control over rare earths and strategic minerals, strengthening America’s leading position in deep-sea technology, energy independence, and supply chain security.
According to the executive order titled “Releasing America’s Nearshore Critical Minerals and Resources,” the U.S. will initiate joint actions within 60 days involving the Department of Commerce, Interior, Defense, and Energy to expedite the issuance of exploration and commercial extraction permits for seabed minerals and establish domestic processing capacity and strategic defense reserves.
Trump emphasized in the order that maintaining the United States’ leadership in deep-sea science, technology, and seabed mineral resources is crucial for national security and economic interests.
He pointed out that the U.S. is facing unprecedented challenges and urgently needs to establish key mineral supply chains not subject to foreign control. The order also explicitly calls for the government to strengthen cooperation with allies and industries to counter China’s “growing influence in the seabed mineral resources sector.”
According to U.S. government officials, the U.S. territorial waters are estimated to hold over 1 billion metric tons of polymetallic nodules, potato-shaped rocks primarily found in the Pacific and other seas containing manganese, nickel, copper, and other critical minerals essential for electric vehicles and electronics.
Officials added that exploiting these resources could potentially increase the U.S. GDP by $300 billion over 10 years and create 100,000 job opportunities.
As part of Trump’s latest initiative to secure America’s critical mineral supply chains, the executive order outlined measures to simplify the commercial permit process under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act, prioritize mapping seabed areas with extraction potential, expedite geological surveys and data collection, and evaluate incorporating materials from polymetallic nodules into the national defense stockpile.
The action is part of Trump’s broader efforts to accelerate domestic extraction and processing of critical minerals, allocate federal land for mineral development, and negotiate with various countries such as Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo to secure mineral resources.
Earlier this month, Trump instructed the Department of Commerce to initiate a national security investigation to assess potential strategic risks posed by the import reliance on critical minerals and their derivatives.
As a part of promoting domestic production, the U.S. has included ten critical mineral projects in the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) to enhance licensing efficiency and strengthen domestic supply chain resilience.
Current U.S. regulations allow deep-sea mining within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) up to 200 nautical miles from the coastline, and several companies have already applied for permits. California-based startup “Impossible Metals” has applied for mining operations in the U.S. territory of American Samoa in April.
Canadian-headquartered and Nasdaq-listed company “The Metals Company” announced its intention to apply for permits to the U.S. government based on the new order. The company’s stock surged 40% on the day of the order, reaching a one-year high. CEO Gerard Barron stated, “Under stable, transparent, and executable regulations in the U.S., we look forward to responsibly and economically driving the world’s first commercial polymetallic nodule mining project.”
The U.S. will also establish a priority list of cooperative countries to establish seabed mineral partnerships with nations interested in developing nearshore resources, expanding opportunities for American companies to participate.
The White House reiterated that the U.S. would provide technological, scientific, and commercial support to assist other countries in responsibly developing underwater resources within their EEZ.
Furthermore, the order requires relevant departments to assess the feasibility of establishing an international mechanism for sharing interests to regulate non-sovereign seabed resource development as a reference system, ensuring U.S. companies’ participation rights in international waters.
However, the Trump administration’s push for deep-sea resource exploitation in international waters poses a significant challenge to the International Seabed Authority (ISA). With 170 member countries, including the EU, China, and Brazil, the U.S. is not a member of the ISA. The organization has been discussing regulations for deep-sea mining in international waters for years but has yet to officially pass them due to disagreements on dust, noise, and environmental impacts.
Supporters of deep-sea mining argue that it will reduce reliance on large land-based mining operations that often lead to pollution and social disputes within local communities. However, environmental groups advocate for a comprehensive ban on deep-sea mining, warning that such industrial activities could cause “irreversible biodiversity loss” to the seabed ecosystem.