White House weighs executive order to fast-track deep-seamining, sources say

The White House is weighing an executive order that would fast-track permitting for deep-sea mining in international waters and let mining companies bypass a United Nations-backed review process, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the deliberations.If signed, the order would mark President Trump’s latest attempt to tap international deposits of nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy after recent efforts in Greenland and Ukraine.Trump earlier this month also invoked emergency powers to boost domestic minerals production.The International Seabed Authority — created by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which the U.S.

has not ratified — has for years been considering standards for deep-sea mining in international waters, although it has yet to formalize them due to unresolved differences over acceptable levels of dust, noise and other factors from the practice.Trump’s deep-sea mining order is likely to stipulate that the U.S.aims to exercise its rights to extract critical minerals on the ocean’s floor and let miners bypass the ISA and seek permitting through the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s mining code, according to the sources.Such a step could give mining companies a formal permitting process to complete and avoid the potential perception that they aim to mine the ocean’s floors without any oversight.The plans are under discussion and could change before Trump signs the order, the sources said.The White House did not respond to requests for comment.Companies that aim to mine the seabed say they consider the practice’s environmental impacts to be significantly smaller than mining on land, although multiple environmental groups say the practice should not be allowed to begin given the potential risks to marine life.Any country can allow deep-sea mining in its own territorial waters, roughly 200 nautical miles fro...