Trump’s unprecedented Alaska deep-sea mining plan sparks environmental backlash

By Elías Thorsson January 28, 2026
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January 15, 2024 – Alaska, USA – USCGC Alex Haley’s (WMEC-39) small boat and boarding team return from a living marine resource protection boarding in the Bering Sea January. 15, 2024.  (Credit Image: © U.S. Coast Guard/ZUMA Press Wire)

The Hill reports that the Trump administration is exploring the possibility of large-scale deep sea mining near Alaska, a move that would be the first of its kind. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), under the Interior Department, announced it would issue a Request for Information to gauge corporate interest and collect public feedback, though it stressed that this does not guarantee the project will proceed. Critics warn that deep sea mining could cause irreversible ecological damage

  • President Trump has pushed to accelerate mineral extraction, including through an executive order aimed at securing domestic sources of critical minerals for defense and technology.

  • Environmental groups have condemned the proposal. Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the Center for Biological Diversity, stated: “This step toward offshore mining shows that the Trump administration only sees Alaska’s vibrant seafloor as an extraction zone for corporate profit.”

  • The administration argues that deep sea mining could reduce reliance on foreign mineral supplies, particularly from China, but critics warn of irreversible ecological damage, including habitat destruction and biodiversity loss.

  • Large-scale deep sea mining has never been attempted before and its potential impacts remain a major concern for scientists and conservationists.

  • Last year, the administration said it also said it would assess the potential for mining off the coast of American Samoa