The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on Tuesday that they are starting the process of selling deep-sea mining leases in response to a request from Impossible Metals, a startup that was previously known as Impossible Mining. The agency stated that they will be evaluating a potential mineral lease sale in the waters offshore American Samoa. This process involves publishing in the federal register and gathering feedback from the public before any sales are considered.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum emphasized the importance of critical minerals for enhancing the nation’s resilience and safeguarding national interests. He mentioned that by responsibly accessing deep-sea mineral resources, they are supporting American economic growth and national security. Impossible Metals, the deep-sea mining startup, formally requested the leases in April. They have developed an underwater autonomous vehicle that is deployed to the ocean floor using a crane. The vehicle uses robotic claws to collect polymetallic nodules that are rich in minerals. The company claims that their UAV is less disruptive to the deep-water ecosystem compared to other methods used by competitors.
Polymetallic nodules are formed over millions of years, accumulating minerals such as manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, and copper that are dissolved in seawater. The demand for critical minerals has increased significantly as the world moves towards electrification. China’s dominance in key mineral markets like cobalt has led to a search for alternative sources. Prospecting companies are interested in polymetallic nodules because of their high mineral concentrations, much higher than what terrestrial mines usually recover. However, ecologists and oceanographers have raised concerns about the potential disruption to fragile ecosystems in regions rich with these nodules. Life in deep-sea environments grows at a slow pace, and any disturbance could take decades to recover from. Mining operations could harm sponges and other creatures on the ocean floor, and the sediment plumes produced could pollute the normally clear water.
Tim De Chant, a senior climate reporter at TechCrunch, has written for various publications and is a lecturer in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing. He holds a PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley. De Chant’s expertise in climate technologies and journalism models has earned him a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT in 2018. With a BA degree in environmental studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his reporting.
