Sponsors (9)
The bill prioritizes protecting coastal ecosystems, Indigenous subsistence and cultural values, and better science-based decision making by banning commercial deep seabed and OCS hardrock mining, but it does so by effectively pausing domestic mineral development and creating economic, supply-chain, and cost trade-offs.
Coastal communities, commercial and recreational marine users, and fisheries will be protected because the bill bans commercial deep seabed and offshore hardrock mining, reducing risks of habitat damage, contamination, and lost livelihoods.
Indigenous and tribal communities whose culture and subsistence depend on marine resources gain stronger safeguards because the bill requires study of cultural and subsistence impacts before permitting activity.
Scientists, federal agencies, and the public benefit from a more rigorous evidence base because the bill directs an independent National Academies review within 90 days to assess environmental and social impacts.
Companies planning commercial seabed or OCS hardrock mining — and related workers and local economies — face an effective moratorium that could eliminate prospective investment and jobs in those sectors.
Manufacturers and tech supply chains may face increased reliance on foreign sources of minerals because the ban could limit future domestic access to potentially critical materials unless alternatives scale up quickly.
Taxpayers will bear costs for commissioning the National Academies study and related federal assessments required by the bill.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits federal permits for commercial hardrock mining on the deep seabed and OCS, allows scientific research, and orders a National Academies study on impacts.
Introduced January 23, 2025 by Ed Case · Last progress January 23, 2025
Prohibits the federal government from issuing any license, permit, or other authorization for commercial exploration, development, or recovery of hardrock minerals on the deep seabed and on the Outer Continental Shelf, while allowing permits for scientific research. Requires the Secretary to seek a contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine within 90 days to conduct a comprehensive study of environmental, cultural, and economic impacts of seabed and OCS mining and to report those findings to Congress.