NOAA is already deep-sea mineral mapping near American Samoa

On April 24, 2025, the Trump Administration released Executive Order 14285, titled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources. The order calls for expanded seabed mapping and research. It also seeks to speed up the permit-approval process for offshore mineral exploration. The effort reflects a broader US strategy to secure access to essential minerals and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains, particularly China.

As part of the Department of Commerce’s implementation of the US Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a new survey project on January 22, 2026. The survey, which started in February, will map and study more than 30,000 square nautical miles of federal waters off American Samoa. This project is planned to use approximately $20 million in fiscal year 2025 funding.

NOAA contractor NV5 is an engineering and consulting firm specializing in infrastructure, building systems, and geospatial data. Starting in February 2026, NV5 will conduct a survey to collect and release maps, images, and samples to improve understanding of deep-sea conditions around American Samoa.

NOAA shared that the effort aims to “increase the baseline understanding of the federal waters off American Samoa’s deep-ocean environment, and will stimulate further exploration, research and management projects, including activities 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, PhD, NOAA administrator. He noted that the project supports sustainable deep-sea mining practices and helps partners better understand their marine environments.

While NOAA’s survey focuses on scientific data collection, the broader growing US interest in seabed minerals has drawn attention beyond mapping efforts. Federal agencies have taken steps to streamline permitting for offshore mineral exploration, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has started gauging industry interest in potential deep-sea mining leases in the US Pacific territories of American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. 

Local leaders in Guam and other territories have expressed concerns about the pace of these moves and a lack of consultation with territorial governments. Guam’s governor, Lou Leon Guerrero (D), has voiced hope that she and her counterparts in the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa can leverage their territories’ strategic importance to oppose deep-sea mining plans. “All three of us are united in our position, and that is to pause any activities of deep-sea mining ‘til we get more [scientific] evidence and data about the consequences and the effects,” she said.

The mapping project marks an early stage in federal efforts to better understand offshore mineral resources, with NOAA emphasizing that the current work is limited to scientific research and data collection. Any future decisions regarding mineral exploration or development in American Samoa would require additional studies, regulatory review, and consultation with territorial governments, underscoring that the survey itself does not authorize mining activity.