While I do write a great deal about space, I am also reminded that the ocean remains one of humanity’s last great frontiers.
Beneath its waves lie not only mysteries of biology and geology but also the possibility of untapped riches in the form of critical minerals, including rare earth elements essential for modern technology. As nations race to secure these resources, deep sea mining has emerged as a pivotal field of innovation and competition.
For the U.S., the imperative to develop robust rare earth mining and processing capabilities has never been more pressing. China’s overwhelming dominance of the global rare earth supply chain (controlling as much as 90% of production and nearly all processing) has exposed significant vulnerabilities in American industrial, technological, and national security infrastructure. Recent trade tensions and export restrictions imposed by Beijing have underscored the risks of over-reliance on a single supplier for materials vital to electric vehicles, defense systems, renewable energy, and advanced electronics.
In response, the U.S. is intensifying efforts to revive domestic production, invest in new mining and processing technologies, and forge international partnerships to diversify supply chains and reduce strategic dependence on China. I have previously covered some important strides being made in a recent post. In this piece, I want to take an in-depth look at deep sea mining.
The development of this industry, while fraught with uncertainty, offers a potential pathway for the U.S. to reclaim leadership in critical mineral supply and safeguard its economic and security interests in an era of escalating global competition. So while we must continue to reach for the stars, we can’t neglect more terrestrial opportunities.
In a previous article, I mentioned the the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean. The areas is renowned for its extensive deposits of polymetallic nodules, which lie on the abyssal plains at depths between 13,000 – 20,000 feet below the surface. These nodules are rich in valuable metals such as nickel, manganese, copper, cobalt, and zinc (elements important for modern technologies, including electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy systems). The nodules are typically potato-shaped, 5–15 cm in diameter, and take millions of years to form.
President Donald Trump and his team are taking advantage of this find and prioritizing deep sea mining development. Trump’s executive order, titled “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources,” is designed to accelerate deep-sea mining by expediting permits and reviews for seabed mineral extraction in both U.S. and international waters.
I will also note that the executive order bypasses the United Nations-led International Seabed Authority (ISA), which, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is developing regulatory standards for responsible deep-sea mineral extraction. The US has not ratified UNCLOS, which I argue is to our benefit.
Legal Insurrection readers will recall that the UN began issuing deep-sea mining permits in 2023. China was hot to take advantage of this resource then.
Recent developments have made deep sea mining more practical and cost effective.
While there has been commercial interest in these minerals for decades, recent advancements in technology have made it feasible to mine these areas by sending vehicles down to harvest mineral deposits from the seafloor.In the case of polymetallic nodules — which are currently the primary focus for deep-sea mining in international waters — mining vehicles would remove mineral deposits from the surface of the seabed, along with the top layers of sediment, using a suction device not unlike a vacuum cleaner. The materials collected would then be piped up to a surface vessel for processing. Any waste, such as sediments and other organic materials, would be pumped back into the water column.
With all of this in mind, Trump’s executive order allowing the U.S. to develop offshore resources may be among the most important of his administration.
For the “America First” administration, bypassing a U.N. body is second nature, completely consistent with its withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement or the World Health Organization. Qualified American companies eager to engage in seep-sea mining can count on having the Trump White House at their backs. They can also form partnerships with companies from allied countries that have ratified the Law of the Sea Treaty, even if that ruffles a few feathers at the United Nations.Seabed mining is environmentally risky with the ever-present threat of a spill that can lead to significant liability. Further, creating domestic processing facilities will require an expedited permitting process and a labor force sufficiently trained to meet the task. The U.S. cannot afford to stand aside and leave the field to China.
It will be interesting to see how quickly the U.S. critical mineral industry develops and grows over the course of the next few years.
Image by perpexity.ai
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