Trump Pushes Deep-Sea Mining to Counter China in Rare-Earth Race

According to White House officials, this initiative could unlock over a billion tons of mineral-rich seabed nodules and potentially generate hundreds of billions of dollars for the US economy. The minerals, including cobalt and nickel, are crucial for defense, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing, industries where the US is eager to reduce its dependence on China.

However, the move challenges international environmental standards and the authority of the International Seabed Authority [ISA], a UN-affiliated body responsible for regulating deep-sea mining in international waters. While the ISA has worked since the 1990s to establish a legal framework for seabed extraction, the US has never ratified the agreement granting it jurisdiction and remains outside its authority.

Instead, the Trump administration is invoking an obscure 1980 US law to authorize mining permits in international waters. The new executive order instructs the Secretary of Commerce to streamline the permitting process for exploration and commercial recovery beyond national jurisdictions within 60 days.

While commercial deep-sea mining is still in its early stages, the White House argues the policy is necessary to "strengthen partnerships with allies and industry to counter China's growing influence over seabed mineral resources." Yet environmental groups warn that rushing into deep-sea mining without clear regulations could devastate fragile ocean ecosystems.

“This is an environmental disaster in the making,” said Emily Jeffers of the Center for Biological Diversity. “Trump is trying to open one of Earth’s most fragile and least understood ecosystems to reckless industrial exploitation.”

The race for deep-sea resources is intensifying. US company Impossible Metals has requested leasing rights near American Samoa, skirting the ISA by operating within US-controlled waters. Meanwhile, Canada’s The Metals Company has shocked the industry by abandoning efforts to work with the ISA, opting instead to seek US approval for industrial-scale mining.

At the heart of the scramble are polymetallic nodules—potato-sized formations rich in manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, and iron—found at depths of 4,000 to 6,000 meters. As global demand for these minerals grows, the battle over how, where, and under whose rules they are extracted is heating up.