The order seeks to boost seabed mineral exploration, mining, and processing.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to jumpstart the U.S. offshore critical minerals industry to bolster the nation’s access to key resources by strengthening domestic capabilities for deep-sea exploration, mineral collection, and processing. It calls for streamlined permitting to fast-track seabed projects, while maintaining environmental and transparency standards. The order also directs greater investment in mapping the ocean floor and advancing technologies to support seabed mineral extraction.
The deep sea contains a variety of mineral-rich deposits, including polymetallic nodules—rocky formations loaded with nickel, copper, manganese, and rare earth elements. The order also includes other valuable materials like cobalt-rich crusts, sulfides, and heavy mineral sands in the term “seabed mineral resources,” encompassing a wide array of raw materials.
Mineral Processing Incorporated Into the Order
The order arrives just weeks after the Trump administration floated the idea of ramping up deep-sea mining efforts (we reported). However, some experts warned that exploration alone would fall short without the ability to process the extracted minerals. This latest order appears to address those concerns by incorporating mineral processing and refining into the overall strategy.
Beyond U.S. waters, the order also calls for a report on private sector interest and opportunities for seabed exploration and mining in international waters, as well as in the jurisdictions of allied nations seeking to collaborate with the U.S. on these efforts.
Deep-sea mining remains a highly controversial topic. Multiple countries, including Germany, advocate for a moratorium on this form of resource extraction until its impacts on marine ecosystems are better studied. Meanwhile, others, including the U.S. and China, are pushing ahead with new initiatives.
Image: montage Rawmaterials.net