The U.S. Department of the Interior said Tuesday it was beginning a process of selling deep-sea mining leases after a request from startup Impossible Metal (previously impossible mining).
The agency said the process “assess the potential mineral lease sales in waters off the coast of Samoa, USA.” The administrative procedure requires the solicitation of a federal register and public feedback before considering a sale.
Given the secretary’s tone of decor statements on the issue, lease sales may be a natural conclusion.
“Critical minerals are fundamental to strengthening our country’s resilience and protecting our national interests,” said Doug Burgham, Interior Secretary. “We support both American economic growth and national security by providing opportunities for responsible access to deep-sea mineral resources.”
Deepwater mining startup Impossible Metals filed a formal request for a lease in April.
The company has developed an underwater autonomous vehicle that has been dropped to the seabed by cranes. There, robotic claws are used to grab mineral-rich polymetal nodules. Impossible metals argue that their UAVs are less destructive to deep-sea ecosystems, which are more vulnerable than their competitors. Many of them use a vacuum to hoover the nodule.
Polymetal nodules form over millions of years and accumulate minerals that dissolve in seawater, such as manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, and copper. As the world is electrified, demand for such important minerals has skyrocketed. China’s control over major mineral markets like cobalt is also sending out companies and governments searching for alternative sources.
Metal blocks are catching the eye of prospectors as they contain very high concentrations of minerals, much higher than the ones that terrestrial mines usually recover.
Ecologists and oceanographers warn that mining operations in areas rich in polynode canals are at risk of destroying vulnerable ecosystems. Life slowly and deepens, and it will take decades to be confused. Recent research has shown that microbial communities need 50 years to recover from mining operations.
Sponges and other creatures grown on the floor can be directly harmed by mining robots, and those handed over must deal with plumes of sediment contaminating normal, clear water. Furthermore, it suggests that the nodule itself produces oxygen, which may help researchers find life on other planets.