Territories join American Samoa in fight against deep sea mining

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A coalition of U.S. territories is rallying behind American Samoa's opposition to deep seabed mining, highlighting what advocates call a persistent pattern of federal decision-making that bypasses territorial voices on issues affecting their waters, lands and futures.

Right to Democracy and the America the Beautiful for All Coalition have launched a petition supporting American Samoa's fight against the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management proposals for deep seabed mining in federal waters surrounding the territory. The effort has drawn signatures from residents across all five U.S. territories: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"Indigenous communities in American Samoa are speaking up, and we must stand with them," Ahtoy Won-Pat Borja, artist and advocate from Guam, said in a press release from Right to Democracy. "The federal government must no longer sideline and sidestep the concerns of American Samoans. Deep seabed mining threatens their communities with the kind of environmental harm whose effects will be felt by generations."

The petition calls for halting all unilateral plans for deep seabed mining in American Samoa, establishing community-led decision-making processes that respect Indigenous and territorial voices, and investing in clean, sustainable alternatives that support island economies.

COLONIAL PATTERN OF EXTRACTION

For Adi Martínez-Román, co-director of Right to Democracy, the deep seabed mining issue represents a broader pattern of colonial exploitation affecting all U.S. territories.

"This issue is deeply tied to legacies of colonial rule, perpetuating a long-standing pattern of extractive exploitation in our territories," Martínez-Román stated in the release. "Pacific and Caribbean territorial communities have borne the brunt of resource extraction and exploitation made without our consent."

Martínez-Román pointed to numerous examples of federal overreach across territories, including Puerto Rico's fiscal control board imposed unilaterally in 2016, the federal takeover of immigration control in the Northern Mariana Islands, and ongoing military expansion in Guam.

"We see what is happening over in Guam with military exercises," she told The Guam Daily Post. "There is this attitude that is not new to this presidency. This is not a new attitude of President Trump. It's just that since they declared the territories unincorporated territories under plenary power of Congress, there is this… pretense or this legitimacy that they can rule and make decisions over us without any civil or political rights that are universally recognized being respected."

According to Angelo Villagomez, ocean co-lead for the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, the territories control less of their surrounding waters despite their strategic importance. "Thirty percent of all US oceans are in the territories," said Villagomez in the release. "The people living in the territories need to play a larger role in deciding what takes place in American waters."

AMERICAN SAMOA'S FIGHT

The deep seabed mining controversy began gaining momentum earlier this year when American Samoans learned that negotiations were already underway between the federal government and Impossible Metals, a private company seeking to lease areas for mineral extraction.

Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka, Ph.D., executive director of American Samoa's Resilience Office, spoke to The Guam Daily Post in a recent interview, saying community pressure forced territorial leaders to take a public stance against the mining.

"There was a press release earlier this year that some in the community found unclear regarding the government's position on deep-sea mining in our waters," said Suluai-Mahuka. "As public interest grew and more community members began engaging on the issue, it naturally led to more conversations and calls for clarification."

The pressure worked. In June, American Samoa's governor, lieutenant governor, legislative leaders and congresswoman all agreed to oppose deep seabed mining.

BOEM's initial 30-day comment period was extended to Aug. 15 after American Samoa's government formally requested more time. Suluai-Mahuka said more than 31,000 comments were received, with approximately 27,000 opposing deep seabed mining.

“BOEM had indicated that there was no industry interest at the time, which was reassuring for us,” Suluai-Mahuka said. “Additionally, there was strong opposition not only from individuals and groups here in American Samoa but also from regional and national NGOs and conservation advocates who voiced their concerns.”

Despite the overwhelming opposition, uncertainty remains about BOEM's next steps.

“There hasn’t been a clear framework or formula shared for how comments will be evaluated, whether by quantity, quality or substance,” Suluai-Mahuka said. “That lack of clarity is something we find concerning.”

Federal waters, territorial impacts

The jurisdictional complexity adds another layer to territorial concerns. While the proposed mining would occur in federal waters, the environmental and cultural impacts would directly affect American Samoa.

"The waters that are surrounding American Samoa, but the jurisdiction is the United States because we don't own our waters," Martínez-Román explained. "They have complete federal jurisdiction over the seas. … We don't have any participation in any political decision that they make, not even through our representatives, not even through anything."

This dynamic extends beyond American Samoa. Recent maritime heritage mapping workshops conducted around Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands by East Carolina University, funded by BOEM, have raised questions about future federal plans for the region.

Jennifer McKinnon, Ph.D., the principal investigator leading the maritime heritage mapping project, noted the shift in federal priorities. "The current mapping study was developed several years ago under a different federal administration with different priorities that involved offshore renewable energy, primarily," McKinnon told The Guam Daily Post. "The current administration's priorities seem to have shifted away from renewable energy towards critical minerals."

McKinnon cautioned that the mapping study remains separate from any potential future mineral extraction planning but acknowledged the changing federal landscape. “I cannot predict what this current administration is going to be doing in the Pacific. It appears that they have priorities for minerals, so it is important for the Mariana Islands to be watching.”

"The shift to minerals alongside the executive order identifying an energy emergency, which shortens the timeframe for federal review processes, is something that people should be watching,” she said.

BROADER IMPLICATIONS

The American Samoa case could set a precedent for other territories. As Suluai-Mahuka noted, "This would be the first official lease within the (United States)" for deep seabed mining.

"Today it can be American Samoa. Tomorrow (it) could be (the) Northern Mariana(s) or Guam," Martínez-Román said. “(The) capacity of doing unilateral decisions… is reflected now clearly on this, but it can happen on other things,” she noted. "Like the fiscal control board that was assigned to Puerto Rico to solve the fiscal crisis, the way it was created actually includes other territories. Like the law actually says that this model can be applied to other territories."

The coalition emphasizes that their opposition stems not just from environmental concerns, but from fundamental questions about territorial self-determination and democratic participation.

"Democracy is not only about participating in the decision-making process. (It) is also about participating in the results of the democratic decision-making," Martínez-Román said. "So, if it's only going to be bad results because we are not participants in those decision-making processes, and we're only participating in the bad results, it is a very big issue of democracy."

For territorial advocates, the deep seabed mining fight represents part of a larger struggle for political agency that has persisted since the Insular Cases established the "unincorporated territory" classification more than a century ago.

"We have to be organized to resist this blatant use of unilateral power over us," Martínez-Román said. "And it is not the first time. It will not be the last time."