Following a formal request for a lease sale by a U.S. company and noting that the April 2025 Executive Order on Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals & Resources identified seabed mineral development as vital to U.S. national security, the Interior Department today announced its initiation of a multi-step process to consider a potential mineral lease sale in federal waters off American Samoa, stating it is the first such action by DOI in more than 30 years and “could pave the way for future extraction of critical minerals” in U.S. waters.
Interior Sec. and National Energy Dominance Council Chair Doug Burgum called critical minerals “fundamental to strengthening our nation’s resilience and safeguarding our national interests,” adding that “[b]y providing opportunities to responsibly access deep-sea mineral resources, we are supporting both American economic growth and national security.”