Gregoire Michael Towai, an independent researcher, community advocate, and cultural practitioner from Saipan, is opposing a federal proposal that could pave the way for seabed mineral leasing in the waters surrounding the Marianas Trench.
Towai condemned the initiative as “exploitation disguised as progress,” warning that industrial extraction in the region threatens both ecological integrity and cultural identity.
“Our islands sit on top of the Marianas Trench, the deepest and most sacred part of the ocean,” Towai said. “And somehow, companies believe they're entitled to carve it up for profit. That is not innovation. That is a colonial mindset coming back in a new form.”
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, under the U.S. Department of the Interior, recently published a Request for Information and Interest in the Federal Register. The notice marks the first step in a process that could lead to a lease sale for seabed minerals on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The public comment period closes Dec. 12.
Gov. David M. Apatang encouraged residents to participate in the process, emphasizing that community input is critical to shaping future federal decisions.
“This is a matter of great significance to the Commonwealth,” Apatang said. “We encourage everyone—citizens, community organizations, traditional leaders, and government agencies—to review the information carefully and provide thoughtful comments. Our collective input will help guide how these discussions move forward and ensure that the interests of the CNMI are protected.”
Towai, however, criticized the 30-day comment window as inadequate and dismissive of the community.
“Thirty days for Indigenous people whose identity comes from the ocean? This is absurd and honestly an insult,” he said. “It tells us that the decision was already made, and the comment period is just paperwork.”
He warned that allowing seabed mining could set a dangerous precedent, eroding local sovereignty “quietly, bureaucratically, one permit at a time.”
“Any development in our waters must be decided by us,” Towai said. “Until that structure exists, I stand firmly, loudly, and unapologetically against seabed mining in the Marianas. This is our ocean, our history, our responsibility—and we will not let it be sacrificed.”
