United States offers first deep sea mining leases near American Samoa

The administration of United States President Donald Trump announced on Monday that it will offer the first offshore mining leases for deep sea mining near American Samoa. The Washington Examiner and UA NEWS both reported that the federal government is launching the lease sale off the territory's coast. [1][2][4]

According to the Washington Examiner, the Marine Minerals Administration within the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the plans on Monday. The agency will offer two areas for offshore mining leases that total nearly 32 million acres off the coast of American Samoa. The effort aims to strengthen the domestic critical mineral supply chain for the United States. [1]

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States situated in the south Pacific Ocean. It lies south of the Equator and roughly 2,200 miles southwest of the state of Hawaii. According to the 2020 United States Census, the population of American Samoa was 49,710, with more recent estimates placing the number around 44,600. [3][5]