Trump now auctioning America’s ocean floor off Samoa, 31 million acres up for grabs despite fury

A screengrab of Google Maps showing Samoa’s location.

First Published: Tuesday, 20 Oct 2026 1:37 PM MYT

WASHINGTON, Oct 20 — President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday announced it had finalised a deep-sea mining auction off the coast of American Samoa, the first in the United States’ history, despite widespread opposition from locals and environmental groups.

The lease sales will cover approximately 31 million acres over two areas off the US Pacific archipelago, with bidding set for November 19.

“Critical minerals are no longer just commodities; they are a vital strategic asset in global competition, essential for reaching our energy efficiency goals, strengthening our national defence, and securing domestic supply chains,” said Mike Olsen, acting director for the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA), which falls under the Interior Department, in a statement.

“MMA recognises the ocean floor surrounding American Samoa carries cultural, economic, and environmental significance, requiring that the pursuit of national security and energy readiness is balanced with rigorous environmental stewardship,” he added.

The sale follows an April 2025 executive order in which Trump called leadership in deep-sea science and technology “a core national security and economic interest,” and a request by US firm Impossible Metals to open leasing off the territory, which lies east of the independent nation of Samoa.

Mining companies want to scour the ocean’s abyssal plains for polymetallic nodules laden with nickel, copper and cobalt. Critics fear irreversible damage, with plumes of waste smothering marine life and the thrum of heavy machinery disrupting migrations.

American Samoa banned deep-sea mining in its territorial waters in 2024, but the auction concerns the federally controlled Outer Continental Shelf beyond that limit.

In a public comment submitted in September 2026 about the auction, American Samoa Governor Pulaali’i Nikolao Pula said he “does not support commercial deep-sea mineral extraction at this time” but acknowledged the final decision rests with the US government.

“These lease sales will open the floodgates to the exploitation of our deep seas,” said Oceana Defense Campaign Manager Julia Singer.

“The message from American Samoa, and people across the United States, could not be clearer: stop deep-sea mining before it starts. Thousands of scientists, local leaders, and community members have warned of the danger that deep-sea mining poses, yet the Trump administration is continuing to ignore widespread opposition to this proposal. The US government should defend the deep, not fast-track its destruction.”

The area borders the vast Rose Atoll marine sanctuary, where endangered species of hawksbill turtle thrive on vibrant reefs. — AFP