The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Governor David Apatang says protecting Pacific waters and island communities must come first as the United States moves ahead with plans that could eventually open a vast area of seabed around the Mariana Trench to mineral development.
The US Marine Minerals Administration, formerly the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, has issued a proposed leasing notice which has triggered a 60-day review by the governor.
Apatang said his administration would approach the proposal with “extreme caution”.
He said the territory wants safeguards in place before any final leasing decisions were made.
Apatang’s administration is seeking independent, peer-reviewed environmental baseline studies, protections for commercial and subsistence fishing, local workforce development, port infrastructure investment, contracting opportunities for island businesses, and a role for Northern Marianas officials and traditional leaders in reviewing survey plans and monitoring data.
“We must ensure that no activity, survey or otherwise, takes place without rigorous scientific baseline studies, complete transparency, and explicit protections for our marine resources,” Apatang said.
The proposal comes as seabed mining emerges as a wider Pacific issue, with governments and environmental groups across the region debating the potential economic benefits against risks to largely unexplored deep-sea ecosystems.
“We welcome dialogue with the Department of the Interior and the Marine Minerals Administration, but our priority remains unchanged,” Apatang said.
“We will thoroughly examine the proposed terms over the next 60 days to ensure that the ecological integrity of our waters and the long-term well-being of the CNMI are fully safeguarded.”
Advocate warns of ‘permanent and irreversible risks’
Northern Marianas environmental advocate Angelo Villagomez, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said the risks would be borne by Pacific Islanders while the economic rewards could flow elsewhere.
“Trump’s attempt to mine the seabed of the Mariana Trench will only benefit far off corporate interests, while the people who call these islands home will be left with all the costs and none of the benefits,” Villagomez said.
“Any damage that happens from mining in this area presents permanent and irreversible risks to fragile ecosystems.”
The Center for American Progress said the Proposed Leasing Notice covers about 69 million acres of federal seabed surrounding the Mariana Trench, an area roughly the size of Nevada.
The proposed lease sale involves federal waters offshore the Mariana Islands and next to the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.
Villagomez also accused the US administration of ignoring opposition from island communities and local governments.
“The administration is again ignoring the overwhelming concerns voiced by the people and local governments,” he said.
The Center for American Progress said about 60,000 public comments were submitted before the Proposed Leasing Notice was issued. Its release also cited Apatang as telling AFP earlier this month: “There have been no consultations with the people of the Northern Mariana Islands.”
The Northern Marianas now has 60 days to review the proposal before the federal leasing process moves to its next stage.
