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| Dear Friend, |
| As if drilling for oil on our public lands and clear-cutting our old-growth forests for timber weren’t enough for their corporate donors, the Trump administration is now eyeing uncharted territory for more extraction: the deep sea. |
| The federal government is seeking input from the public on deep sea mining exploration. We have until January 12 to speak out in opposition to this destructive proposal. |
| The deep sea makes up the Earth’s largest biome, accounting for 90% of the ocean. It is home to lesser-known residents like the dumbo octopus, anglerfish, and bubblegum coral. Scientists believe there could be as many as 10 million different species, a level of biodiversity that rivals tropical rainforests. |
| The deep sea also holds large quantities of mineral deposits that contain elements used in the construction of electronics, batteries, weapons, and other technologies. That is why profit-driven multinational companies are pushing the Trump administration to expedite the process that could bring deep sea mining to the waters surrounding the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas and Guam. But deep-sea mining is a new and untested technology. There is no commercial deep sea mining happening anywhere in the world, and we must keep it that way. |
| Earthjustice is working with community groups in the Northern Marianas and Guam to oppose Trump’s plan, which would be catastrophic for the natural ocean environment and could devastate fishing and tourism. For the people of the Northern Marianas and Guam, the ocean is inseparably intertwined with their history, culture, and identity. Destroying the ocean floor will destroy their way of life. |
| The impacts of mining the deep sea are far and wide. It will be destructive for the ocean floor and all the unique species that inhabit this vast and rich ecosystem. Not only is this technology untested, scientists believe if the proposed methods advance at scale, biodiversity loss and habitat destruction will be unpreventable and irreversible. The likely known costs and environmental risks of this industry’s mining experiments are extremely high, and there are also substantial unknown costs and risks. It will also have downstream effects that could impact the health of fisheries and disturb some of the largest carbon sinks on the planet. This would reduce the deep sea’s capacity to buffer us from the worst impacts of climate change. |
| All this destruction for an unsafe and historically unsuccessful endeavor with little evidence of feasibility or profitability, especially given the high cost of production. |
| We cannot allow these plans to strip-mine the ocean floor to move forward. Tell the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to stop deep sea mining before there is no turning back. |
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Sincerely,
Addie Haughey
Legislative Director, Policy & Legislation |
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| Photo Credits: Bubblegum coral (Paragorgia arborea). (NOAA / Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) |
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