A leading environmental group, Ocean Conservancy, has launched a campaign against a controversial proposal that would open over 113 million acres of Alaskan waters to deep-sea mining. It warns that the plan poses an unacceptable risk to the region’s world-class fisheries and Indigenous communities.
Ocean Conservancy cites irreversible threats to marine life and local cultures
The environmental group is urging the public to speak out against the measure, with a critical March 2 deadline looming.
The proposal is currently under consideration by President Donald Trump’s administration. It would allow companies to lease vast tracts of the ocean floor off Alaska’s coast for mineral extraction.
In a statement issued in January, the Ocean Conservancy argued that the pristine waters targeted for development are the very foundation of Alaska’s fishing industry.
“We cannot trade Alaska’s food, cultures and economy for the new and risky endeavor of deep-sea mining, which we know threatens species both on the seafloor and throughout the water column,” the group stated.
The organization framed the fight as a global one. It also warns that mining in the Central Arctic Ocean would set a dangerous precedent.
Proposed mining expansion part of broader push to develop untested industry in US waters
According to a report by High Country News, the practice involves scraping mineral deposits off the seafloor for use in commercial products. This includes deposits such as electric vehicle batteries and military technology.
However, it remains a pre-commercial industry, stalled by a lack of regulatory frameworks for international waters.
Scientists also warn that extracting minerals formed over millions of years could devastate fragile marine ecosystems. It could also devastate fisheries, with recovery potentially taking millennia.
Findings by Charity Journal reveal that Alaska is the latest front in a broader push by the Trump administration to advance the nascent industry. Over the past year, the administration has sought to open waters around American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands to similar ventures.
Critics, including Indigenous leaders, argue the plan violates their rights to free, prior, and informed consent regarding projects in their traditional territories.
With the comment period ending March 2, the Ocean Conservancy is mobilizing supporters to oppose what it calls an “immense risk” that far outweighs any potential, unproven benefits.
In another development, 4ocean, a for-profit organization dedicated to ending the ocean plastic crisis, has announced the removal of over 50 million pounds of plastic from the world’s water bodies in under ten years.
Similarly, nonprofits and organizations fighting to protect the environment have scaled their efforts in recent months