More than 2,000 people have signed a petition opposing deep seabed mining in the waters off of American Samoa.
The petition, organized by the groups Right to Democracy and the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, was signed by community leaders, scientists, educators, and citizens the five U.S. territories.
The petition was submitted to the federal Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
The government of American Samoa opposes seabed mining and the commercial leasing of the territory’s exclusive economic zone.
In May, the Department of the Interior announced it would begin evaluating a potential mineral lease sale in the waters off American Samoa.
A request for information was published in the Federal Register in June. The public comment period – which according to Right to Democracy drew 31,000 responses, including about 27,000 opposed to deep seabed mining – closed on Friday.
Offshore critical minerals include nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese, and rare earth elements. They are in short supply and are used in consumer electronics, energy production, healthcare, transportation, and defense, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.