{"id":77133,"date":"2026-07-16T16:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T16:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/?p=77133"},"modified":"2026-07-16T17:14:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T17:14:32","slug":"trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" title=\"Deep Sea Mining Protest in Hawaii\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Greenpeace USA activist and Hawaiian allies call on the U.S. government to stop their plans to open deep sea mining in U.S. and international waters in front of the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer in Honolulu, Hawai`i. The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer (R 337)(IMO: 8835114) is the only U.S. federal vessel dedicated to systematically exploring the unknown reaches of the world&#039;s oceans. \nIts 2026 mission, part of the &quot;Beyond the Blue: Illuminating the Pacific&quot; campaign includes mineral mapping in American Samoa and the Cook Islands, an activity believed to support Trump\u2019s April 25, 2025 Executive Order: &quot;UNLEASHING AMERICA\u2019S OFFSHORE CRITICAL MINERALS AND RESOURCES\u201d. The E.O. ignited a process to open U.S. and international water to deep sea mining. \nAs of May 2026 the E.O. process has led to 4 international license applications and 3 domestic lease scoping areas - in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and offshore Alaska. A lease sale for deep sea mining in American Samoa by the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) is projected for August 2026.\" class=\"wp-image-77138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greenpeace USA activist and Hawaiian allies call on the U.S. government to stop their plans to open deep sea mining in U.S. and international waters in front of the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer in Honolulu, Hawai`i. The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer (R 337)(IMO: 8835114) is the only U.S. federal vessel dedicated to systematically exploring the unknown reaches of the world&#8217;s oceans. <br>Its 2026 mission, part of the &#8220;Beyond the Blue: Illuminating the Pacific&#8221; campaign includes mineral mapping in American Samoa and the Cook Islands, an activity believed to support Trump\u2019s April 25, 2025 Executive Order: &#8220;UNLEASHING AMERICA\u2019S OFFSHORE CRITICAL MINERALS AND RESOURCES\u201d. The E.O. ignited a process to open U.S. and international water to deep sea mining. <br>As of May 2026 the E.O. process has led to 4 international license applications and 3 domestic lease scoping areas &#8211; in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and offshore Alaska. A lease sale for deep sea mining in American Samoa by the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) is projected for August 2026.<div class=\"credit icon-left\"> \u00a9 Darryl Oumi \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p><strong>WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 16, 2026)<\/strong> \u2013 The Trump administration has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boem.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/mma-drives-next-step-americas-offshore-critical-mineral-strategy\">announced<\/a> a proposed deep sea mining lease sale<sup data-fn=\"84381a71-37f2-4832-acf2-fc840bb73918\" class=\"fn\"><a id=\"84381a71-37f2-4832-acf2-fc840bb73918-link\" href=\"#84381a71-37f2-4832-acf2-fc840bb73918\">1<\/a><\/sup> in federal waters near American Samoa, marking the world\u2019s first attempt to commercially mine the deep sea. The move is a major step toward opening U.S. waters to commercial deep sea mining and comes despite mounting opposition from Pacific Indigenous leaders, Pacific communities, and civil society groups.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Arlo Hemphill, Greenpeace USA Oceans Are Life Campaign Lead, said:&nbsp; <\/strong>\u201cThe Trump administration is attempting to launch the world\u2019s first commercial deep sea mining lease sale despite clear opposition from Pacific communities and major unanswered scientific questions. Pacific peoples are being asked to shoulder the risks of a destructive new industry enabling corporations to chase profits in one of the last wild places on earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>The announcement comes after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.talanei.com\/2024\/07\/25\/governor-places-moratorium-on-seabed-mining\/\">American Samoa imposed a moratorium on seabed mining<\/a><strong> <\/strong>in its waters and formally <a href=\"https:\/\/insideclimatenews.org\/news\/11032026\/trump-noaa-american-samoa-deep-sea-mining\/#:~:text=Local%20Opposition%20Emerges,nautical%20miles%20from%20the%20islands.\">opposed federal proposals<\/a> to mine the outer continental shelf near the territory. An April document issued by the newly redesignated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/pressreleases\/department-interior-begins-transition-marine-minerals-administration#:~:text=Department%20of%20the%20Interior%20Begins,U.S.%20Department%20of%20the%20Interior\">Marine Minerals Administration<\/a> (MMA) outlined plans for lease sales in American Samoa in August 2026 and indicated funding for tribal and Pacific Islands outreach would only follow the lease sales, a clear breach in the consultation of affected communities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cThe federal government is moving forward with a decision affecting Pacific communities before meaningful consultation has even begun \u2014 scheduling outreach after the lease sale, not before it,\u201d added Hemphill.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka<\/strong>, <strong>founder of American Samoa\u2019s <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/finafinau.org\/\"><strong>Finafinau<\/strong><\/a> <strong>Foundation<\/strong><sup data-fn=\"a1db5c18-9e57-40a2-93a0-1ba8e6a2d72d\" class=\"fn\"><a id=\"a1db5c18-9e57-40a2-93a0-1ba8e6a2d72d-link\" href=\"#a1db5c18-9e57-40a2-93a0-1ba8e6a2d72d\">2<\/a><\/sup><strong> said<\/strong>: \u201cPacific people have made our position clear: we do not want deep sea mining in our waters. Yet the Trump administration is forcing this industry on our communities \u2013 imposing decisions that could affect us permanently without consulting us. Our ocean is our home, our food, our culture, and our future, and we are calling on the Administration to stop this reckless lease sale before irreversible harm is done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacificislandtimes.com\/post\/not-in-our-backyard-guam-legislature-joins-neighboring-islands-in-opposing-seabed-mining\">Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands<\/a>, which were also identified in MMA documents for future lease sales, have similarly expressed opposition to deep sea mining proposals. Their opposition includes a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/pipap.sprep.org\/news\/northern-mariana-islands-and-guam-governors-push-deep-sea-mining-moratorium\">call by both governors<\/a> for a moratorium on the practice. More than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/pacific\/583276\/petition-against-deep-sea-mining-near-mariana-trench-gaining-support\">3,000 residents from U.S. territories have signed petitions opposing the industry&#8217;s launch in the region.<\/a> And on June 5th the governor of Guam <a href=\"https:\/\/www.guampdn.com\/news\/governor-signs-ban-on-deep-sea-mining-violators-face-50k-fines\/article_a2619d2e-c81a-4cf2-973b-821cfe204e12.html\">signed a ban<\/a> in nearshore waters under territorial control.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Solomon \u201cUncle Sol\u201d Pili Kaho\u02bbohalahala, a Native Hawaiian Elder of the Papah\u0101naumoku\u0101kea Marine National Monument Advisory Council and Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group, said:<\/strong>&nbsp; \u201cThe Pacific has already seen what happens when governments and corporations treat our ocean as something to exploit instead of a living system that sustains our people. Indigenous leaders across the Pacific are standing together against deep sea mining because we know the risks will not stop at our shorelines. The ocean connects our communities across generations, and Pacific peoples will continue protecting it.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>More photos can be viewed <a href=\"https:\/\/media.greenpeace.org\/Detail\/27MZIFJHJNAEY\">here<\/a> and images of Pacific leaders lobbying in Washington, DC can be seen <a href=\"https:\/\/media.greenpeace.org\/asset-management\/27MZIFJHA98M3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<p><strong>Contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, <a href=\"mailto:tbrooks@greenpeace.org\">tbrooks@greenpeace.org<\/a>, +1 703 342 9226<\/p>\n\n<p>Greenpeace USA Press Desk: <a href=\"mailto:mediausa@greenpeace.org\">mediausa@greenpeace.org<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Greenpeace USA (Inc.) is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country\u2019s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\">www.greenpeace.org\/usa<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes\"><li id=\"84381a71-37f2-4832-acf2-fc840bb73918\">\u00a0The lease sale comes amid an aggressive <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2025\/04\/the-metals-company-applied-to-the-u-s-for-a-deep-sea-mining-license\/\">push<\/a> by the Trump administration and deep sea mining companies, including The Metals Company (TMC), to fast-track commercial extraction in U.S. and international waters under the banner of national security and critical minerals. <a href=\"#84381a71-37f2-4832-acf2-fc840bb73918-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"a1db5c18-9e57-40a2-93a0-1ba8e6a2d72d\">\u00a0Suluai-Mahuka led an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/finafinausamoa\/posts\/stand-with-the-moana-stand-for-our-futurejoin-us-for-a-community-gathering-as-we\/1458008633032663\/\">opposition event<\/a> in American Samoa when the lease sale was announced July 16 called \u201cStand with the Moana\u201d. <a href=\"#a1db5c18-9e57-40a2-93a0-1ba8e6a2d72d-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 2\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contacts:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":77138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"Oceans Are Life","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"\u00a0The lease sale comes amid an aggressive <a href=\\\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2025\/04\/the-metals-company-applied-to-the-u-s-for-a-deep-sea-mining-license\/\\\">push<\/a> by the Trump administration and deep sea mining companies, including The Metals Company (TMC), to fast-track commercial extraction in U.S. and international waters under the banner of national security and critical minerals.\",\"id\":\"84381a71-37f2-4832-acf2-fc840bb73918\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Suluai-Mahuka led an <a href=\\\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/finafinausamoa\/posts\/stand-with-the-moana-stand-for-our-futurejoin-us-for-a-community-gathering-as-we\/1458008633032663\/\\\">opposition event<\/a> in American Samoa when the lease sale was announced July 16 called \u201cStand with the Moana\u201d.\",\"id\":\"a1db5c18-9e57-40a2-93a0-1ba8e6a2d72d\"}]"},"categories":[235,1,223],"tags":[26,76],"p4-page-type":[33],"class_list":["post-77133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deep-sea-mining-cat","category-greenpeace","category-oceans","tag-oceans","tag-deep-sea-mining","p4-page-type-press-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.9 (Yoast SEO v23.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition - Greenpeace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Contacts:\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Greenpeace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/greenpeaceusa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T16:48:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T17:14:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@greenpeaceusa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@greenpeaceusa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tanya Brooks\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tanya Brooks\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/person\/de155ac029526aa7a4f7e82eb84d0ad3\"},\"headline\":\"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T16:48:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-16T17:14:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/\"},\"wordCount\":793,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Oceans\",\"Deep Sea Mining\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Deep Sea Mining\",\"Greenpeace\",\"Oceans\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/\",\"name\":\"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition - Greenpeace\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T16:48:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-16T17:14:32+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Greenpeace USA activist and Hawaiian allies call on the U.S. government to stop their plans to open deep sea mining in U.S. and international waters in front of the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer in Honolulu, Hawai`i. The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer (R 337)(IMO: 8835114) is the only U.S. federal vessel dedicated to systematically exploring the unknown reaches of the world's oceans. Its 2026 mission, part of the \\\"Beyond the Blue: Illuminating the Pacific\\\" campaign includes mineral mapping in American Samoa and the Cook Islands, an activity believed to support Trump\u2019s April 25, 2025 Executive Order: \\\"UNLEASHING AMERICA\u2019S OFFSHORE CRITICAL MINERALS AND RESOURCES\u201d. The E.O. ignited a process to open U.S. and international water to deep sea mining. As of May 2026 the E.O. process has led to 4 international license applications and 3 domestic lease scoping areas - in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and offshore Alaska. A lease sale for deep sea mining in American Samoa by the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) is projected for August 2026.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/\",\"name\":\"Greenpeace USA\",\"description\":\"Greenpeace\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Greenpeace USA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2024\/11\/cd951b96-greenpeace-logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2024\/11\/cd951b96-greenpeace-logo-1.png\",\"width\":299,\"height\":51,\"caption\":\"Greenpeace USA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/greenpeaceusa\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/greenpeaceusa\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/greenpeaceusa\/\"],\"description\":\"Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country\u2019s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, safeguard our planet for future generations, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people over profits.\",\"email\":\"connect@greenpeace.us\",\"telephone\":\"1-800-722-6995\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/person\/de155ac029526aa7a4f7e82eb84d0ad3\",\"name\":\"Tanya Brooks\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/a\/ACg8ocJ7lORKgWoS6ebj9tcIsUgUwa6EPG6KxY11t_70qAIzaU-Psg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/a\/ACg8ocJ7lORKgWoS6ebj9tcIsUgUwa6EPG6KxY11t_70qAIzaU-Psg\",\"caption\":\"Tanya Brooks\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/author\/tbrooks\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition - Greenpeace","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition","og_description":"Contacts:","og_url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/","og_site_name":"Greenpeace","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/greenpeaceusa","article_published_time":"2026-07-16T16:48:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-16T17:14:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@greenpeaceusa","twitter_site":"@greenpeaceusa","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tanya Brooks","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/"},"author":{"name":"Tanya Brooks","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/person\/de155ac029526aa7a4f7e82eb84d0ad3"},"headline":"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition","datePublished":"2026-07-16T16:48:15+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-16T17:14:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/"},"wordCount":793,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg","keywords":["Oceans","Deep Sea Mining"],"articleSection":["Deep Sea Mining","Greenpeace","Oceans"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/","url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/","name":"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition - Greenpeace","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-16T16:48:15+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-16T17:14:32+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2026\/07\/76691316-gp0su8uud.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"Greenpeace USA activist and Hawaiian allies call on the U.S. government to stop their plans to open deep sea mining in U.S. and international waters in front of the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer in Honolulu, Hawai`i. The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer (R 337)(IMO: 8835114) is the only U.S. federal vessel dedicated to systematically exploring the unknown reaches of the world's oceans. Its 2026 mission, part of the \"Beyond the Blue: Illuminating the Pacific\" campaign includes mineral mapping in American Samoa and the Cook Islands, an activity believed to support Trump\u2019s April 25, 2025 Executive Order: \"UNLEASHING AMERICA\u2019S OFFSHORE CRITICAL MINERALS AND RESOURCES\u201d. The E.O. ignited a process to open U.S. and international water to deep sea mining. As of May 2026 the E.O. process has led to 4 international license applications and 3 domestic lease scoping areas - in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and offshore Alaska. A lease sale for deep sea mining in American Samoa by the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) is projected for August 2026."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/trump-administration-launches-first-deep-sea-mining-lease-sale-despite-pacific-opposition\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Trump Administration launches first deep sea mining lease sale despite Pacific opposition"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/","name":"Greenpeace USA","description":"Greenpeace","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#organization","name":"Greenpeace USA","url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2024\/11\/cd951b96-greenpeace-logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-usa-stateless\/2024\/11\/cd951b96-greenpeace-logo-1.png","width":299,"height":51,"caption":"Greenpeace USA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/greenpeaceusa","https:\/\/x.com\/greenpeaceusa","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/greenpeaceusa\/"],"description":"Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country\u2019s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, safeguard our planet for future generations, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people over profits.","email":"connect@greenpeace.us","telephone":"1-800-722-6995"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/person\/de155ac029526aa7a4f7e82eb84d0ad3","name":"Tanya Brooks","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/a\/ACg8ocJ7lORKgWoS6ebj9tcIsUgUwa6EPG6KxY11t_70qAIzaU-Psg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/a\/ACg8ocJ7lORKgWoS6ebj9tcIsUgUwa6EPG6KxY11t_70qAIzaU-Psg","caption":"Tanya Brooks"},"url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/author\/tbrooks\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77133"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77143,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77133\/revisions\/77143"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77133"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=77133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}