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Stop the Pacific Deep-Sea Mining Lease Sale Before It's Too Late

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Sponsor: Free The Ocean

On December 16, 2026, the U.S. Interior Department plans to open 67 million acres of Pacific seafloor to commercial mining. Affected communities are united in opposition. Sign to demand a stop.

A hawksbill sea turtle glides through vibrant blue ocean water above a coral reef, surrounded by a shimmering school of small fish.

On December 16, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior is scheduled to hold a lease sale — designated PACM-2 — that would open approximately 67 million acres of Pacific Ocean floor near the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to commercial deep-sea mining. The communities who live closest to these waters are asking for it to stop. So far, they haven't been heard.

No Precedent. No Impact Statement. No Clear Science.

The targeted seafloor contains mineral-rich formations that have accumulated over millions of years. Mining them would require industrial-scale equipment dragging and cutting through ecosystems we are only beginning to understand. According to the Congressional Research Service, no lease for commercial seabed mining has ever been issued on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, and no full environmental impact statement has been completed for a project of this scope.4 The science on sediment plumes, deep-sea habitat destruction, and harm to species protected under the Endangered Species Act remains unresolved. Proceeding without that science means proceeding without answers to questions that matter.

Island Communities Are United in Opposition

This is not a close call for the people who live here. Every mayor in the CNMI signed a joint statement rejecting the proposal, citing threats to fishing, marine ecosystems, and the livelihoods that depend on them.3 Guam, whose waters and fishing grounds border the proposed lease area, has called for formal government-to-government consultation — a request that has not been meaningfully answered.6 Even the CNMI governor, without opposing mining outright, has pressed for revenue-sharing agreements and enforceable environmental protections that the current proposal does not include.7

A Federal Lawsuit Is Already Pending

In September 2026, CNMI community groups filed a federal lawsuit to halt the sale. The suit argues that the Interior Department failed to conduct adequate environmental review and moved forward without the consent of affected communities.1 Earthjustice, which supports the legal challenge, contends the process violated federal environmental law, including Endangered Species Act obligations.5 A 2025 executive order accelerated permitting timelines for deep-sea mining nationally, but as the Foley Hoag Energy and Climate Counsel Blog notes, critical legal questions around environmental review and Indigenous consultation remain unresolved.2

The December Date Is Not Fixed by Law

The Secretary of the Interior has full authority to cancel or postpone PACM-2. The December 16 deadline is an administrative choice — not a legal requirement. Advocates, mayors, and legal experts are calling for a pause until a full environmental impact analysis is complete, Endangered Species Act consultation is finalized, and the people of the CNMI and Guam have a genuine seat at the table.

Sign the petition urging the Secretary of the Interior to cancel or indefinitely postpone the PACM-2 lease sale before irreversible decisions are made about one of the Pacific's most ecologically significant ocean environments.

More on this issue:

  1. Mark Rabago, Pacific Scoop / RNZ Pacific (9 September 2026), "CNMI Groups Sue US Over Deep Sea Mining Plan Covering 67 Million Acres."
  2. Nicholas Renzler, Basil Seggos, Christina G. Hioureas, Andrew Loewenstein, and Elza Bouhassira, Foley Hoag Energy and Climate Counsel Blog (15 October 2026), "Analyzing the Legal Landscape Since Trump's 2025 Deep Sea Mining Executive Order."
  3. Staff, Isla Public Media (24 September 2026), "CNMI mayors unite in strong opposition to proposed seabed mining."
  4. Caitlin Keating-Bitonti and Laura B. Comay, Congressional Research Service (EveryCRSReport.com) (28 August 2026), "Seabed Mining on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf: Recent Developments (IF13226)."
  5. Staff, Earthjustice (8 September 2026), "Lawsuit Challenges Mariana Islands Deep-Sea Mining Lease Sale."
  6. Staff, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) (22 September 2026), "Guam demands consultation on CNMI deep-sea mining plan."
  7. Staff, Isla Public Media (22 October 2026), "CNMI governor seeks revenue sharing, safeguards in seabed mining proposal."

The Petition

To the Secretary of the Interior, United States Department of the Interior,

We urge you to cancel or indefinitely postpone the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Outer Continental Shelf Mineral Lease Sale (PACM-2), currently scheduled for December 16, 2026, until a full environmental impact analysis is completed, Endangered Species Act consultation is finalized, and the communities of the CNMI and Guam have been given a genuine and meaningful voice in this process.

What is at stake here is not abstract. The proposed lease area covers approximately 67 million acres of Pacific Ocean floor — ancient ecosystems built over millions of years, home to species and habitats we are only beginning to understand. Commercial seabed mining at this scale has no regulatory precedent on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. No environmental impact statement has been completed. The science on sediment plumes, species harm, and long-term ecological disruption remains unresolved. Proceeding under these conditions is not a calculated risk — it is a gamble with consequences that cannot be undone.

The human cost is equally serious. Every mayor in the CNMI has formally rejected this proposal, citing direct threats to fishing, marine ecosystems, and the livelihoods their communities depend on. Guam has requested government-to-government consultation that has not been meaningfully provided. A federal lawsuit is now pending, arguing that the Interior Department failed to meet its legal obligations on environmental review and community consent. These are not fringe objections — they represent the unified voice of the people most directly affected by what happens to these waters.

Compassion requires us to recognize that fishing communities, Indigenous peoples, and Pacific Island residents carry a disproportionate share of the risk in this arrangement while having the least power to stop it. They are asking not for a permanent halt, but for a fair process — one that takes their futures seriously before leases are signed and equipment enters the water.

The December 16 date is an administrative decision, not a legal mandate. You have the authority to change it. We ask you to exercise that authority now: cancel or postpone PACM-2 until the science is done, the law is followed, and the communities of the CNMI and Guam have been genuinely heard.

Taking these steps will ensure a better future for all.

Sincerely,

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