U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at increasing the controversial practice of deep-sea mining as America hunts for critical minerals.
The White House is seeking to increase its supply of strategically important minerals such as nickel, copper, and rare earth elements that could be found within the seabed in international waters. Those metals and critical minerals are used in technologies ranging from Tesla’s (TSLA) electric vehicles to Apple’s (AAPL) smartphones and Dell Technologies (DELL) laptop computers.
Currently, China dominates the global supply of industrial metals, critical minerals, and rare earth elements, and has threatened to cut off its supply to America. In his executive order, Trump wrote that the action is intended “to counter China’s growing influence over seabed mineral resources” and ensure U.S. firms are “well positioned.”
Controversial Practice
The order seeks to establish a process for issuing permits along the U.S. outer continental shelf and calls for the expedited review of seabed mining permits “in areas beyond national jurisdiction.” Deep-sea mining involves using heavy machinery to remove minerals and metals from the seabed floor.
Advocates say deep-sea mining could be a highly lucrative industry. However, scientists warn that the full environmental impacts of deep-sea mining are hard to predict and could threaten sensitive ecosystems and lead to underwater species extinction.
Global advocates and agencies, including the United Nations (U.N.), also condemn mining in international waters, saying it could heighten geopolitical tensions and conflicts.
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