Overview
- The Marine Minerals Administration announced Monday that it will offer two offshore areas totaling about 31–32 million acres off American Samoa and set the lease auction for November 19, 2026.
- Winning leases would let companies recover polymetallic nodules—potato‑sized rocks that contain nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese and iron used in batteries and other technologies.
- Local leaders, matai councils and community groups have publicly opposed the sale and filed lawsuits arguing federal agencies lack legal authority or failed to meet treaty and regulatory duties.
- Scientists and environmental groups warn mining could cause long‑lasting harm by stirring sediment plumes, removing seafloor habitat and disrupting deep‑sea species whose ecology is still poorly understood.
- BOEM has indicated interest in leases near other U.S. administered waters, so the outcome of the November sale and pending court cases could set a legal and policy precedent for future federal seabed leasing.