Executive Order Prompts Action On Seabed Mining And Foreign Collaboration

In furtherance of his Administration's evident priority of developing alternative sources for critical minerals, last week President Trump signed Executive Order 14285 which provides until June 23, 2025, for relevant U.S. agencies to prepare the groundwork for mineral development in U.S. and international seabeds. Although the United States' basic legal framework for international seabed mining has been in place since 1980, activity has been limited, partly given complex questions of how U.S. and international law interact in this area. The Executive Order includes several invitations for foreign governments and foreign companies to collaborate with the United States.

Background: Different Legal Frameworks for International Seabed Extraction