Exclusive: White House weighs executive order to fast-track deep-sea mining, sources say

[highplainsdem]

Source: Reuters

The White House is weighing an executive order that would fast-track permitting for deep-sea mining in international waters and let mining companies bypass a United Nations-backed review process, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the deliberations.

If signed, the order would mark U.S. President Donald Trump's latest attempt to tap international deposits of nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy after recent efforts in Greenland and Ukraine. Trump earlier this month also invoked emergency powers to boost domestic minerals production.

The International Seabed Authority - created by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which the U.S. has not ratified - has for years been considering standards for deep-sea mining in international waters, although it has yet to formalize them due to unresolved differences over acceptable levels of dust, noise and other factors from the practice.

Trump's deep-sea mining order is likely to stipulate that the U.S. aims to exercise its rights to extract critical minerals on the ocean's floor and let miners bypass the ISA and seek permitting through the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's mining code, according to the sources.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/white-house-weighs-executive-order-fast-track-deep-sea-mining-sources-say-2025-03-31/

[Lovie777]

1. I think shithole musk republicans see their advantage going down pretty fast.............

USA people can only take so much, but shit, judges in WI allowing bribery?

Job loses, Union busting, Post Office dying, healthcare and SS gone, etc while the super rich pay less (if any) taxes.

And that only mentions a few of what harm they are doing to the USA.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Let's encourage him to visit some of those mines.

Preferably in an untested submersible.

[Hekate]

3. Rogue state. Scofflaw.

[wiggs]

4. Shit. Raping the sea floor. On brand I guess. nt

[SWBTATTReg]

5. The powers that be, have been drooling over such technologies to mine valuable minerals from the seas

forever it seems like.

Why this is coming about in this day and age, is probably an organismic hard-on by the republicans, as well as a purely 'gee whiz' efforts to activate all pro-business desires by the pro-business components of tRUMP's foul gang of business partners, regardless of whether the technology is available or not.

The problem is (and they are ignoring it) is that the technology to make the mining of these minerals affordable has yet to be developed. The entire infrastructure, mining it, removing the surface layers effectively from the desired minerals underneath, mining and extracting the desired minerals, delivering it to the surface of the water.

Morons. There's been many efforts to mine/extract minerals from the seas over decades. And from what I gather is that no single method seems to have won over proponents of mining deep sea minerals. Too many technical issues to resolve.

I imagine that recycling old trash, dumps, etc. would be a better option for now, just guessing.

[Bayard]

6. What is this, "Gimee gimee minerals!" thing lately?

He reminds me of that salt vampire creature on original Star Trek.

[GenThePerservering]

7. This administration is so hapless and corrupt

I can't imagine them being able to manage deep sea mining which, as cited above, is almost impossible.

ETA: They'll probably try to pay Musk to buy some infant company to do it.