The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced it will begin selling deep-sea mining leases after a request from startup Impossible Metals. This exploration is set to take place in the waters off American Samoa, subject to public feedback before proceeding. The focus is on responsibly accessing critical minerals to enhance national security and economic growth. Impossible Metals employs innovative technology to retrieve polymetallic nodules with minimal ecological disruption, highlighting the growing demand for these minerals in an electrifying world, especially as reliance on minerals like cobalt shifts due to geopolitical factors.
"Critical minerals are fundamental to strengthening our nation's resilience and safeguarding our national interests," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. "By providing opportunities to responsibly access deep-sea mineral resources, we are supporting both American economic growth and national security."
Impossible Metals claims that its UAV is less disruptive to the fragile deep-water ecosystem than its competitors, many of which use vacuums to hoover up the nodules.
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