TMC Applauds ~350 Former U.S. Political and Military Leaders Urging Senate to Ratify Law of the Sea for Deep-Sea Mine Sites "Each Containing a Trillion Dollars in Value"
Retrieved on:
Thursday, March 14, 2024
UNCLOS ratification remains a legislative uncertainty for the U.S., but the country can still potentially process and refine nodules through allied countries and contractors, and TMC’s offshore exploration and onshore processing campaigns have involved a wide array of American companies and universities.
Key Points:
- UNCLOS ratification remains a legislative uncertainty for the U.S., but the country can still potentially process and refine nodules through allied countries and contractors, and TMC’s offshore exploration and onshore processing campaigns have involved a wide array of American companies and universities.
- The letter , which follows this week’s introduction of the Responsible Use of Seafloor Resources Act (RUSRA) in Congress, was signed by around 189 American ambassadors, 73 generals, 50 admirals, four directors of national intelligence and scores of other distinguished supporters.
- Although the U.S. has yet to ratify UNCLOS — a legislative step that would enable it to access the vast, untapped critical minerals found in seafloor nodules in international waters — it can still process and refine critical minerals extracted from polymetallic nodules collected in international waters.
- In December 2023, President Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act, through which the House Armed Services Committee directed the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy to submit a report to the Committee to assess “the processing of seabed resources of polymetallic nodules domestically.”