America's Unilateral Bid For Deep Ocean Minerals—Met With Contempt

BusinessEnergyAmerica's Unilateral Bid For Deep Ocean Minerals—Met With ContemptByKen Silverstein,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Ken Silverstein analyzes the Energy Transition, AI and GeopoliticsFollow AuthorAug 24, 2026, 09:00am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.SummaryNOAA has controversially published an American company's bid to mine the Pacific Ocean floor for critical battery metals, the first such federal action in decades. The Metals Company (TMC) aims to extract 1.6 billion metric tons of nickel, cobalt, and manganese from international waters under a 1980 U.S. law. This move directly challenges the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and global norms, drawing sharp criticism from China, France, and the ISA for violating international law. The U.S. seeks to secure its battery supply chain, reducing reliance on China, with the government potentially acting as a key buyer. This unilateral push tests international cooperation over shared ocean resources.Show More San Diego, CaliforniaJune , 2021Gerard Barron, Chairman and CEO of The Metals Company, hopes that his company will be able to mine the seafloor for nickel, cobalt, manganese in the Pacific Ocean. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesThis week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration quietly did something no federal agency has done in more than three decades: it published, in the Federal Register, an American company's formal bid to mine the bottom of the Pacific Ocean for battery metals—and to explore a second tract of seafloor nearly twice the size of West Virginia for more.On August 19, NOAA posted The Metals Company's consolidated application for an exploration license and commercial recovery permit covering roughly 65,000 square kilometers of seabed, holding an estimated 619...