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President Trump's administration wants to open up areas of the western Pacific to deep-sea mining. The region is a potential source of critical minerals, the kinds that are used in everything from cellphones to electric vehicles. The potential mining zone is near the American territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where some residents think the U.S. government is moving too fast. Dana Williams from public radio station KPRG reports from Guam.
DANA WILLIAMS, BYLINE: More than a hundred residents gathered at the Guam Museum in early January to learn about the Trump administration's proposal to allow mining on the ocean floor.
JOSEPH CERTEZA: (Chanting in Chamorro).
WILLIAMS: Joseph Certeza opened the meeting with a chant in the island's native Chamorro language. Certeza is an artist and works at the University of Guam. He said the chant emphasized island wisdom and working together to protect nature.
CERTEZA: Our ocean, our relationships to the natural world is very critical as Indigenous people.
WILLIAMS: He warns deep-sea mining will damage the environment, and many people in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands share that concern. There are currently no commercial deep-sea mining operations anywhere in the world, but the Trump administration wants to develop the industry to make sure the U.S. has a secure domestic supply of critical minerals. The seafloor near the islands is a potential source for cobalt, copper and nickel used in energy and defense technology. In November, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, proposed allowing mining on millions of acres of seafloor near the Mariana Trench. Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero first learned of the proposal through the media.
LOU LEON GUERRERO: I was totally surprised.
WILLIAMS: She reached out to the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. He also had no advance notice of the plan.
LEON GUERRERO: And so these kinds of things is very, very scary for us 'cause things are moving without us being part of that at the table.
WILLIAMS: Both governors asked the federal government for more time for islanders to weigh in. In written comments submitted as part of the permitting process, residents voiced their fears about damage to coral reefs. They worried about polluting local seafood. They stressed the connection between Indigenous islanders and the sea. And they pointed out that officials 8,000 miles away in Washington are racing to make a decision that could have long-term consequences for the islands. Jeffrey Drazen is a deep-sea ecologist at the University of Hawaii. He says one big concern is that mining could release plumes of toxic debris into the ocean.
JEFFREY DRAZEN: It's possible that deep-sea mining could introduce metals into food webs and contaminate our seafood supply.
WILLIAMS: Neither the White House nor BOEM responded to questions for this story. In public comments, some residents said deep-sea mining could bring an economic boost to the islands, and they do support the effort to ensure the U.S. has a supply of critical minerals. But Guam Governor Leon Guerrero says the territories worry the plan will be approved without considering their needs.
LEON GUERRERO: We don't have a voting delegate in Congress. We don't even vote for the president of the United States.
WILLIAMS: Joseph Certeza said islanders just want to have a say.
CERTEZA: We want our voice heard. If we can put our foot down and actually, like, negotiate properly, that's the biggest thing that we're all fighting for in the U.S. territories.
WILLIAMS: For now, the federal government is moving forward with the permitting process.
For NPR News, I'm Dana Williams on Guam.
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