The 30-day comment period for the Request for Information and Interest (RFI): Commercial Leasing for Outer Continental Shelf Minerals Offshore American Samoa begins today.
The public notice on the deep-sea mining proposal was posted today on the Federal Register at regulations.gov.
According to the notice, Section 50251(b) of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 expanded the definition of the Outer Continental Shelf under the OCS Lands Act to include submerged lands within the Exclusive Economic Zone adjacent to U.S. territories. It also amended the OCS Lands Act by modifying the definition of “State” to include each of the 50 States of the Union, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It says the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will continue coordination with the Government of American Samoa throughout the OCS mineral leasing process for the proposed area.
According to the notice, upon release of this Request for Information, BOEM intends to evaluate lease planning with the Government of American Samoa, relevant OCS users, and Federal agencies including, but not limited to: the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Office of Insular Affairs; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the U.S. Coast Guard; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and the Department of Defense.
BOEM also intends to engage with the Indigenous Peoples of American Samoa about their economic, environmental, and public health concerns with Outer Continental Shelf mineral development throughout the planning and leasing process.
In addition, BOEM uses other information sources in its decision-making for leasing, such as available data and information on the location of marine life and habitat areas, cultural resources, transportation routes, fishing areas, and other human uses.
To read the full RFI and submit comments, visit regulations.gov and search under BOEM-2025-0035.
The comment period ends July 16.
