BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA
Journal Staff
On Aug. 17 (Aug. 18 CHamoru Standard Time) the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the availability of the Proposed Leasing Notice for a proposed Northern Mariana Islands Outer Continental Shelf Mineral Lease Sale later this year.
The leasing notice “outlines the terms and conditions for the potential sale, including blocks under consideration, information to lessees, and proposed lease stipulations.”
In its announcement, BOEM said, “The PLN advances the leasing process to support responsible access to the critical minerals needed to strengthen U.S. supply chains, enhance energy readiness, and sustain the technologies that power the nation’s modern economy.”
If the process moves forward, BOEM said in the notice it will complete the remaining pre-sale requirements, including publishing a final Leasing Notice in the Federal Register at least 30 days prior to the sale date.
Nick Katkevich, ocean campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an Aug. 17 release, “It’s disgraceful that the Trump administration is bulldozing ahead with plans to allow deep-sea mining while the people who live closest to the proposed project are rightfully demanding that it be stopped,” Katkevich also said, “Deep-sea mining will be catastrophic for most of the mollusks on the ocean floor, along with all kinds of other creatures. These massive mining projects are just too experimental and dangerous for marine life to allow them to go forward.”
For background on this story, see Multiple companies eye deep sea mining licenses and Deep sea mining moves ahead in the Mariana Islands.
Meanwhile, Rep. Marissa R. Flores of Saipan’s Precinct 3 is presenting House Joint Resolution 24-17 on Aug. 20, which is, “To affirm the Commonwealth’s interests in submerged lands and offshore mineral resources and to respectfully urge Congress to enact legislation conveying ownership recognizing Commonwealth rights, and establishing a federal framework governing offshore mineral development adjacent to the Commonwealth.” The resolution was pre-filed, according to an Aug. 17 notice from the House of Representatives of the NMI Legislature.
In related news, the Archdiocese of Agana forwarded a copy of a Pastoral Statement on Deep-Sea Mining, which the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific issued on Aug. 10. The statement said, “The ocean that surrounds our islands is more than a geographical reality. It’s God’s gift to us – a source of life and nourishment, a sign of our interconnectedness, and a sacred trust that we are called to preserve for generations yet unborn.” The statement also quoted Pope Leo XIV as reminding “that authentic human progress can never be separated from care for our common home, responsibility towards future generations, and the universal distribution of the goods of creation.” mbj
Journal Staff
On Aug. 17 (Aug. 18 CHamoru Standard Time) the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the availability of the Proposed Leasing Notice for a proposed Northern Mariana Islands Outer Continental Shelf Mineral Lease Sale later this year.
The leasing notice “outlines the terms and conditions for the potential sale, including blocks under consideration, information to lessees, and proposed lease stipulations.”
In its announcement, BOEM said, “The PLN advances the leasing process to support responsible access to the critical minerals needed to strengthen U.S. supply chains, enhance energy readiness, and sustain the technologies that power the nation’s modern economy.”
If the process moves forward, BOEM said in the notice it will complete the remaining pre-sale requirements, including publishing a final Leasing Notice in the Federal Register at least 30 days prior to the sale date.
Nick Katkevich, ocean campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an Aug. 17 release, “It’s disgraceful that the Trump administration is bulldozing ahead with plans to allow deep-sea mining while the people who live closest to the proposed project are rightfully demanding that it be stopped,” Katkevich also said, “Deep-sea mining will be catastrophic for most of the mollusks on the ocean floor, along with all kinds of other creatures. These massive mining projects are just too experimental and dangerous for marine life to allow them to go forward.”
For background on this story, see Multiple companies eye deep sea mining licenses and Deep sea mining moves ahead in the Mariana Islands.
Meanwhile, Rep. Marissa R. Flores of Saipan’s Precinct 3 is presenting House Joint Resolution 24-17 on Aug. 20, which is, “To affirm the Commonwealth’s interests in submerged lands and offshore mineral resources and to respectfully urge Congress to enact legislation conveying ownership recognizing Commonwealth rights, and establishing a federal framework governing offshore mineral development adjacent to the Commonwealth.” The resolution was pre-filed, according to an Aug. 17 notice from the House of Representatives of the NMI Legislature.
In related news, the Archdiocese of Agana forwarded a copy of a Pastoral Statement on Deep-Sea Mining, which the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific issued on Aug. 10. The statement said, “The ocean that surrounds our islands is more than a geographical reality. It’s God’s gift to us – a source of life and nourishment, a sign of our interconnectedness, and a sacred trust that we are called to preserve for generations yet unborn.” The statement also quoted Pope Leo XIV as reminding “that authentic human progress can never be separated from care for our common home, responsibility towards future generations, and the universal distribution of the goods of creation.” mbj
