BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA
Journal Staff
Government officials from more than 40 countries and observers are meeting in Kingston, Jamaica on July 13 to discuss deep sea mining at the 31st session of the International Seabed Authority.
ISA members have taken positions against deep sea mining, supporting a moratorium until more is learned about environmental risks.
Greenpeace and the U.S. Center for Biological Diversity have called on ISA to respond on deep sea mining in a briefing for delegations. Alejandro Olivera, senior scientist and Mexico representative at the center, said in a July 10 release, “The ISA’s purpose is to manage the seabed as the common heritage for all, and they shouldn’t hand it over piecemeal to whichever company can move fastest and push hardest. This cooperative global framework is being tested right now by companies trying to go around the process, and it’s threatening the deep-sea ecosystem we’re only beginning to understand.”
The United States is not a member of ISA, which has issued 31 exploration contracts to 21 contractors sponsored by 20 countries. “The ISA is expected to consider at this session whether to seek a legal opinion on whether companies that also hold ISA exploration contracts may be acting inconsistently with their international obligations by pursuing parallel U.S. permits,” the center said.
Both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have opposed deep sea mining in their waters and requested a moratorium on deep-sea mining in the region from the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Guam enacted Public Law 38-129 in June, prohibiting seabed mining in its territorial waters. The law gave the Port Authority of Guam the authority to deny or delay port access to any vessels associated with deep-sea mining, aimed to prevent local support for extraction operations near the island.
For more detail on deep sea mining in the waters of the Mariana Islands, see Multiple companies eye deep sea mining licenses and Deep sea mining moves ahead in the Mariana Islands. mbj
Journal Staff
Government officials from more than 40 countries and observers are meeting in Kingston, Jamaica on July 13 to discuss deep sea mining at the 31st session of the International Seabed Authority.
ISA members have taken positions against deep sea mining, supporting a moratorium until more is learned about environmental risks.
Greenpeace and the U.S. Center for Biological Diversity have called on ISA to respond on deep sea mining in a briefing for delegations. Alejandro Olivera, senior scientist and Mexico representative at the center, said in a July 10 release, “The ISA’s purpose is to manage the seabed as the common heritage for all, and they shouldn’t hand it over piecemeal to whichever company can move fastest and push hardest. This cooperative global framework is being tested right now by companies trying to go around the process, and it’s threatening the deep-sea ecosystem we’re only beginning to understand.”
The United States is not a member of ISA, which has issued 31 exploration contracts to 21 contractors sponsored by 20 countries. “The ISA is expected to consider at this session whether to seek a legal opinion on whether companies that also hold ISA exploration contracts may be acting inconsistently with their international obligations by pursuing parallel U.S. permits,” the center said.
Both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have opposed deep sea mining in their waters and requested a moratorium on deep-sea mining in the region from the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Guam enacted Public Law 38-129 in June, prohibiting seabed mining in its territorial waters. The law gave the Port Authority of Guam the authority to deny or delay port access to any vessels associated with deep-sea mining, aimed to prevent local support for extraction operations near the island.
For more detail on deep sea mining in the waters of the Mariana Islands, see Multiple companies eye deep sea mining licenses and Deep sea mining moves ahead in the Mariana Islands. mbj
