Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — This note is for all of us who pay taxes, vote now and then, and try to make ends meet. You don’t have to be an economist or government official. Maybe you don’t sit in budget hearings. But you can feel it when something’s off.

This is for the people who say:

“I just want to know where the money goes.”

“Who really benefits from all this development?”

We’re not pretending the public is perfect. We get tired. We forget.

But we still care — if someone speaks to us plainly.

This Ledger won’t give all the answers.

But it will ask the questions — over and over — until someone does.

You don’t need a title, a college degree, or lots of money to notice what’s missing. You just need to keep your eyes open and ears alert.

LEDGER ENTRY #2

“What Happens When Our Ocean Floor Becomes a Mine?”

A Big New Plan Under the Water

There are special rocks on the bottom of the ocean near American Samoa.
These rocks are called polymetallic nodules. They are full of important metals like nickel and cobalt. We need these metals to build electric cars and batteries.

A company from California called Impossible Metals wants to mine these rocks.
They asked the U.S. government to sell them a mining lease — a special permission to work in the ocean.

If the government agrees, they could take metals from the ocean floor near American Samoa .

The U.S. government office in charge is called BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management). BOEM will decide by May 23, 2025 if they will start the process.

If yes, the public (including people from American Samoa) can give comments before anything is final .

 Why Some People Like the Idea

• The company says it will create new jobs and new money for the islands .
• Some leaders think it will help American Samoa grow stronger.
• The company says it uses a special robot to collect the rocks without hurting sea animals .
• Some people say mining underwater is better than mining on land, because land mining cuts forests and mountains .

Why Some People Are Worried

• The deep ocean is very special and fragile.
We do not know everything about the life that lives there .
• If we mine the ocean floor, we might destroy sea life that took millions of years to grow .
• The dust (sediment) from mining could hurt fish and other sea animals .
• Fishing, like tuna fishing, is very important for jobs and food in American Samoa .
• Once the deep ocean is damaged, it may never heal .

Who Has the Power to Decide?

• American Samoa’s leaders already banned deep-sea mining in their own waters.
• But the company wants to mine just outside — in U.S. federal waters.
• So the final decision belongs to U.S. officials, not just local leaders .

This makes many people ask:

“Who should control the ocean near American Samoa — us or Washington?”

Ledger Notes (Questions to Think About)

• Who will really get the benefits?
Will local people get jobs? Or will most of the money go to outside companies?
• How will we protect our ocean?
What if the mining hurts the fish or kills coral and other life?
• Who is watching the companies?
Who will check if they follow the rules?
• Is this the right time?
Should we wait until we understand the deep sea better?
• What are we leaving for the future?
Will our children have a healthy ocean — or an empty one?

Reflection

In Samoan culture, the ocean is not just a place to fish. It is family. It gives us food, stories, and life.

Mining the ocean floor could bring money.’But it could also bring loss.

We all want progress. But we must be careful that progress does not destroy what makes us strong.

Before we dig into the ocean, we must ask:

Who will truly benefit?

And who will pay the price if we are wrong?

The ocean is our legacy — let’s protect it with wisdom.

(Sources: Reuters ; Impossible Metals ; American Samoa Executive Order ; Greenpeace)

— VILA