Nonprofit sues US as it pushes to auction massive tracks of water around American Samoa
Summary
An environmental group sued the U.S. government over plans to auction large areas of ocean near American Samoa for deep-sea mining. The lawsuit argues the government did not properly consider the impact on endangered species and important marine habitats before moving forward.Key Facts
- The lawsuit was filed by Earthjustice against the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
- The U.S. plans to lease about 33 million acres of seabed near American Samoa for mining minerals like nickel, cobalt, and manganese.
- These minerals are used in products such as batteries and electronics.
- The environmental group says the U.S. did not follow laws like the Endangered Species Act to protect marine life.
- The area hosts rare marine species including five sea turtle populations, four whale species, and coral reefs.
- Many animals in the area are culturally important to Samoan people and are protected by local bans on hunting them.
- Deep-sea mining has not yet been done commercially anywhere in the world, and many countries want to stop it over environmental risks.
- The U.S. government wants to speed up mining approvals despite global concerns about damage to ocean ecosystems.
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