Deep Sea Mining Hearing

On Thursday, I participated in the deep sea mining hearing held by the Natural Resources Committee’s Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee. We heard from the CEOs of Impossible Metals and The Metals Company, the two companies who have expressed interest in mining in American waters in the Pacific, a deep sea ecologist and the president of an ocean energy resources trade association. I expressed that while I recognize the national security imperatives of developing a secure critical mineral supply chain, and that I believe in innovation and efficient regulatory systems, in our islands we don’t have the luxury of getting deep sea mining wrong. Streamlining regulations should never mean lowering our standards or outsourcing risk to small, remote island communities like ours. I expressed our community’s large-scale opposition to the recent Request for Information from the Department of Interior and secured a commitment from the CEO of Impossible Metals, who has expressed the most interest in mining offshore the CNMI, that he would support the completion of a full Environmental Impact Statement before any leasing decision is made. I will continue to implore the companies involved, as well as our federal partners, to engage more fully with our local community to share information, and to include our voices in the decision-making process.