NOAA Launches Deep-Sea Mapping Project Off American Samoa as Critical Minerals Race Accelerates

The United States is ramping up efforts to secure domestic sources of critical minerals with a major new seabed mapping initiative in the Pacific, part of a broader push to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and counter China’s growing influence over strategic resources.

NOAA’s National Ocean Service announced today a new hydrographic survey project to map and characterize more than 30,000 square nautical miles of federal waters off American Samoa. The project, part of the Department of Commerce’s implementation of the U.S. Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan, will utilize approximately $20 million in fiscal year 2025 funding.

NOAA contractor NV5 will begin survey work in February 2026, producing publicly accessible maps, images and samples of the marine environment. The effort aims to increase baseline understanding of American Samoa’s deep-ocean environment and stimulate further exploration, research and management projects related to deep sea minerals.

“NOAA is proud to play a leading role in the President’s plan unlocking access to critical minerals for domestic supply chains,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., NOAA administrator. “This project highlights NOAA’s strong impact on economic resilience as we invest in research that supports sustainable deep sea mining practices and allows partners to better understand their marine environments.”

The initiative follows President Trump’s April 2025 executive order, Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, which called for rapid development of domestic seabed mineral resources. The order emphasized that the United States faces unprecedented economic and national security challenges in securing reliable supplies of critical minerals independent of foreign adversary control.

U.S. waters are estimated to contain one billion metric tons of polymetallic nodules rich in manganese, nickel, copper, and other critical minerals essential for manufacturing, technology, and defense applications. These minerals are used in everything from defense systems and batteries to smartphones and medical devices.

The American Samoa mapping project comes as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has made significant progress toward commercial leasing in the Pacific. In November 2025, BOEM completed Area Identification offshore American Samoa and launched a public comment period for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

“The Pacific Outer Continental Shelf holds vast potential for critical minerals that power American manufacturing and defense technology,” said Acting BOEM Director Matt Giacona. “These resources are key to ensuring the United States is not reliant on China and other nations for its critical minerals needs.”

For American Samoa, BOEM has completed the area identification process, which determines specific areas that will undergo environmental review for proposed commercial leases. The environmental assessment will analyze leasing and preliminary characterization activities, with full consultation under environmental statutes including the National Historic Preservation Act.

“If done right, this could produce great economic return for our fellow Americans in the territory,” commented Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs William Hague.

The American Samoa process began when Impossible Metals submitted a formal lease sale request to BOEM in April 2025, marking the first such request in over 30 years. BOEM stressed that neither the Area ID nor the mapping project constitutes a decision to lease, and any potential lease sale would require additional Federal Register publications, environmental reviews under NEPA, and compliance with all applicable federal laws.

The initiatives align with broader Interior Department policy changes announced in June to streamline offshore critical minerals development. Those changes extended prospecting permits from three to five years and eliminated requirements for formal requests for information before identifying development areas—potentially saving months or years in the approval process.

While the U.S. can authorize mining within its territorial waters, international waters present complex jurisdictional issues. The International Seabed Authority, established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea—which the U.S. has not ratified—continues to debate standards for deep-sea mining, particularly regarding environmental impacts.

Environmental groups have raised concerns about potential impacts on marine biodiversity, while supporters argue offshore mining could reduce dependence on land-based operations and foreign mineral sources.

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