Guam senators will discuss a bill Wednesday that would ban seabed mining in Guam’s territorial waters and deny permits for facilities that support seabed mining.
Bill 253-38, introduced by Sen. Therese Terlaje, would also allow the Port Authority of Guam to “delay or deny approval for port entry or departure for any vessel” involved in seabed mining.
The Trump administration has said deep-sea mining for critical minerals is a priority for the United States, and the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has identified 69 million acres around the Marianas as a potential mining area.
While the area is outside the 3-mile territorial waters of Guam and the Northern Marianas, it is within the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States.
In public comments submitted in response to the mining plan, island residents expressed concerns about the environmental impacts of mining and potential effects on fish.
Previously, the Guam Legislature has passed resolutions opposing seabed mining, but Bill 253-38 would give local officials the power to stop mining vessels from using the port.
