Conservation groups sue NOAA over Pacific deep-sea mining application
The Conservation Council for Hawaii and the Center for Biological Diversity sued NOAA on Wednesday, alleging the agency certified mining company TMC USA's exploration application for 121,830 square kilometers of Pacific seafloor without the public review a 1980 law requires. NOAA released only a Federal Register notice and a heavily redacted application, and the groups say it never responded to written requests for the missing materials.
The area, in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone between Hawaii and Mexico, is targeted for polymetallic nodules containing nickel and cobalt. The groups say they cannot evaluate whether TMC USA meets legal eligibility requirements, including financial and technical capacity, without the withheld data.
No commercial seabed mining operation exists anywhere in the world, and the U.N.-affiliated International Seabed Authority has not authorized any. NOAA's only prior approvals under the 1980 law were four dormant licenses issued in 1984; this is the first certification under the current administration and the first to propose actual sea exploration.
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