Deep-sea mining did not suddenly emerge in 2025, bringing us to the brink of federal leases being issued within American Samoa's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The developments unfolding today are the result of decades of federal policy, scientific research, technological advancement, and growing demand for critical minerals.

This four-part series is intended to help our community understand the issues at stake. Before we can decide what should happen next, we must first understand how we got here, who has the legal authority to make these decisions, what is known—and still unknown—about the potential impacts of deep-sea mining, and what options remain available to protect American Samoa's interests. Regardless of where one stands on deep-sea mining, informed public discussion begins with a clear understanding of the facts.

Understanding how we arrived at this moment matters because major decisions affecting our future are often years—even decades—in the making. The history of deep-sea mining also highlights a broader lesson: American Samoa must have a voice when federal policies are being developed, not merely after decisions are already underway.

In 1980, Congress enacted the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act, establishing a federal framework for exploring and developing mineral resources beneath the ocean floor. Three years later, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the United States Exclusive Economic Zone, extending federal jurisdiction over marine resources 200 nautical miles from the shores of American Samoa and other U.S. territories.

Whether American Samoa had a meaningful role in those decisions is a legitimate question. As an unincorporated and unorganized territory, many aspects of our relationship with the federal government were established without direct participation by our people. The balance between federal authority and local self-governance remains an important issue today.

Over the following decades, federal agencies, research institutions, and private industry invested heavily in studying and mapping the Pacific Ocean floor, particularly the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Significant deposits of cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper, and other strategic minerals were identified. More recently, polymetallic nodules were confirmed within portions of American Samoa's EEZ, increasing interest in the region as demand grew for minerals used in batteries, renewable energy technologies, and advanced manufacturing.

By the early 2010s, critical mineral supply chains had become a national policy concern tied to economic competitiveness and national security. By 2023 and 2024, deep-sea mining was increasingly being discussed as part of America's strategy to secure access to these resources.

Recognizing the potential environmental, cultural, and economic implications, Governor Lemanu P.S. Mauga issued a moratorium in 2024 on deep-sea mining activities within American Samoa's territorial waters. The Fono later adopted a formal resolution opposing deep-sea mining, sponsored by House Speaker Savali Talavou Ale and Representative Melesio Gurr. The measure passed the House on July 31, 2025, and was unanimously approved by the Senate on August 1, 2025.These actions reflected growing concern within the territory.

However, authority over activities within the EEZ rests largely with the federal government, making Congress, the White House, and federal regulatory agencies the primary arenas where these decisions are made.

In April 2025, a private company submitted a request to begin the federal leasing process in U.S. waters. Later that month, President Trump issued Executive Order 14285 directing federal agencies to accelerate offshore critical mineral development. Soon afterward, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) began evaluating potential lease sales that included areas within American Samoa's EEZ. By the time many residents became aware of the issue, the federal process was already underway.

A fundamental question remains: Why was American Samoa selected as one of the first areas considered for this accelerated leasing process, and what role, if any, did the territory have in that decision? Those questions deserve clear answers, particularly when the environmental, cultural, and economic consequences will be borne primarily by our people.

The lesson is simple: deep-sea mining did not arrive overnight. The legal framework, scientific research, economic interests, and regulatory processes that brought us to this point have been developing for decades. Understanding that history helps explain where we are today—and why American Samoa must be fully engaged in shaping what comes next.

The story of deep-sea mining is still being written. The question is whether American Samoa will have a meaningful voice in the chapters yet to come.

Part 2—Will be a discussion on the difference between territorial waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone, and why that distinction is central to understanding what authority American Samoa does—and does not—have in the deep-sea mining debate and what we can do about it.