CNMI’s David Apatang and Guam’s Lou Leon Guerrero
Photo: Facebook / CNMI Office of the Governor & Lt. Governor / RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon
The leaders of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam are seeking a moratorium on deep-sea mining in the Marianas.
CNMI governor David Apatang and Guam governor Lou Leon Guerrero also want to see refroms at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
In a letter to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chair Mike Lee, the governors of the Western Pacific US territories are calling for congressional action, citing what they describe as significant deficiencies in the process governing the Request for Information (RFI) proposing the potential leasing of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) minerals in an area offshore the CNMI and directly adjacent to Guam.
Apatang and Leon Guerrero said BOEM released its analysis of public comments on 18 March 2026, despite overwhelming opposition due to environmental, ecological, economic, cultural, and public health concerns.
They also pointed out that the federal agency, which manages development of US OCS energy, mineral, and geological resources, doubled the size of the potential lease area to encompass both sides of the Mariana archipelago-coming as close as 46 miles to land.
“The current speed of a process that could ultimately lead to commercial extraction activities in waters that sustain our fisheries, cultural practices, and regional biodiversity is deeply alarming,” they wrote.
The governors then outlined their reasons for seeking a moratorium on deep-sea mining and reforms to the BOEM process.
“First, there is a profound lack of meaningful engagement with affected communities. Despite the magnitude of the proposal, the process relies heavily on federal mechanisms that are inaccessible, compressed, and insufficient for island communities that face structural barriers to participation.”
They said that although a majority of the 65,000 public comments opposed the potential lease sale, these concerns were largely disregarded as the process moved forward.
“Second, the decision-making process has so far failed to address the potential environmental and health impacts that critical mineral extraction would have on the oceans, fisheries, and populations of Guam and the CNMI.”
They added that BOEM’s Area Identification Memo acknowledged numerous concerns raised but failed to address them or provide a plan to do so.
“Finally, the RFI does not consider the implications of deep-sea mining on national security priorities. The proposal interferes with the Mariana Islands Training and Testing (MITT) program, the Department of War’s most critical readiness platform in the Indo-Pacific.”
They said the MITT area supports joint military training, weapons testing, and range modernization activities necessary to ensure US forces are prepared for national defense missions. Deep-sea mining could not only physically limit training operations but could also attract surveillance or monitoring from malign actors.
“There has been no comprehensive, interagency analysis of the risks to military operations, demonstrating that BOEM has not considered the national security implications of its plans.”
For these reasons, the two governors are requesting that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee take the following actions:
- 1. Support an immediate moratorium on all federal actions advancing deep-sea mineral leasing in the Mariana region until robust scientific, environmental, and security analyses are completed.
- 2. Direct the Department of the Interior and BOEM to redesign their engagement processes to ensure meaningful, early, and sustained participation by territorial governments, Indigenous communities, and local stakeholders. This must go beyond standard notice-and-comment procedures and include co-development of policies affecting territorial waters.
- 3. Mandate a comprehensive interagency study, led jointly by the Department of War and the Department of the Interior, to evaluate the impacts of OCS mineral exploration and extraction on military training and operations within the MITT area.
The governors said the US has made clear its commitment to a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.
“This must include protecting the environmental integrity and strategic utility of the Mariana region, while respecting the voices and rights of the communities who call these islands home.
“The decisions made today will shape not only the future of our ocean ecosystems, but also the credibility of our nation’s stewardship of its territories and its alignment with its own national security objectives,” Apatang and Leon Guerrero wrote.
