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2/3 Global Ocean Watch: Pirates of the Pacific
During the little-noticed open-to-the public virtual public hearing held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on January 27-28, the NOAA reviewed the application for a license by U.S.-based Canadian company: The Metals Company USA, LLC (TMC) to conduct seabed mining exploration activities in the Pacific Oeacn’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). Almost everyone who spoke strongly against the TMC's application, arguing that it’ll violate international law and would cause incalculable environmental damage to the Pacific Ocean.
Pirates of the Pacific
During the little-noticed open-to-the public virtual public hearing held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on January 27-28, the NOAA reviewed the application for a license by U.S.-based Canadian company: The Metals Company USA, LLC (TMC) to conduct seabed mining exploration activities in the Pacific Oeacn’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). Almost everyone who spoke strongly against the TMC's application, arguing that it’ll violate international law and would cause incalculable environmental damage to the Pacific Ocean.
In addition, we must be highly vigilant against the right-wings using anti-China and the MAGA rhetoric to push their agenda to colonize the public water at around the world!
Lee Siu Hin
Global Ocean Watch
http://www.GlobalOceanWatch.net
February 3, 2026
https://www.actionla.org/article-detail/69820d069e76a62768fbed35/2-3-pirates-of-the-pacific
In just a few weeks at the beginning of 2026, President Trump had launched multiple bloody wars and military threats around the world, causing almost every public and antiwar activists’ attention. Including: the invasion of Venezuela to kidnap President Maduro and his wife; the military threat to occupy Greenland; secret meeting with far-right separatist forces in Alberta, Canada; and a large-scale military buildup near Iranian coast, preparing for a military attack and the assassination of Iranian leaders—a goal to seize the rich oil and mineral resources of the world. However; at the same time, another U.S. plan “invasion” of Clarion-Clipperton Zone at the South Pacific Ocean for the rich minerals at the seabed, were got little notice from the public.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) is located in the central Pacific Ocean. It is international water, regulated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), and does not belong to any single country. Situated between Hawaii and Mexico, north of the equator, primarily between 5° and 20° north latitude, it has a depth of approximately 4,000 to 6,000 meters and covers an area of about 4.5 million square kilometers. The CCZ is renowned for its abundant polymetallic (manganese) nodules rich in nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese, which is why the United States seeks to illegally claim this area and its seabed resources.
The Metals Company USA, LLC (TMC) is a Canadian company registered in the United States. They have never had any deep-sea exploration qualifications and have been exposed by environmental organizations for causing environmental pollution in their past underwater exploration activities.
The United States has sought to colonize this area for many years, but its efforts accelerated in 2025 after Trump 2.0 took office, granting licenses and funding to the TMC for private commercial activities. Opponents criticize the US government and TMC's actions, arguing that they violate international law, including:
1. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, only the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has the authority to manage mining activities in international waters.
2. US domestic law cannot supersede multilateral obligations and the authority of the ISA.
3. Unilaterally issuing licenses could undermine the principles of a shared human heritage and the requirement for benefit sharing.
After Trump took office in 2025, his administration initially intended to legitimize TMC's exploration in the CCZ by passing legislation in the US Congress, thus overriding international law. However, this plan failed due to strong opposition from environmentalists and the international community. Now, the administration has opted to quietly obtain a license from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US government's body responsible for managing the marine environment, and issue the license to TMC at lightning speed, attempting to force its way through with domineering tactics.
Ironically, Trump 2.0 administration initially had drastically cut NOAA funding but then partially restored it, one of the aims being to expedite the approval of TMC licenses. Environmentalists criticize NOAA's approval process for lack of transparency, with a significant amount of crucial TMC data remaining undisclosed. Since NOAA began "accepting" TMC license applications at the middle of 2025, the public consultation period is currently in its final stages, lasting only a few months until February 23rd, 2026:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/23/2025-23795/deep-seabed-mining-notice-of-receipt-of-applications-for-deep-seabed-mining-exploration-licenses-and
Then, it is highly likely that NOAA will rubber-stamp TMC's license application later in 2026.
Expert points-out that due to TMC's technological shortcomings, their exploration activities in the CCZ will likely end in a disastrous failure, leaving behind a highly polluting mess. However, the biggest concern is that the US could use this operation to seize control of the CCZ waters at a very low cost, arbitrarily establishing it as their permanent “colony”. This is similar to the US funding Elon Musk to launch thousands of Starlink satellites, to occupy most low-Earth orbit satellite communication networks, with the aim of excluding other countries from launching their own satellites. The US could then repeatedly replicate this strategy, arbitrarily claiming control of any high seas around the world, developing its own “colonial“ oceans, and plundering resources. Militarily, through these "maritime enclaves," the US could also use them as launching-pad to attacks on any country it dislikes at closer proximity.
Such a significant event, due to the highly unified U.S. corporate media censorship, meant that apart from environmentalists and residents of the Pacific coastal regions who would be affected, the general public was completely unaware of an event that could profoundly impact us 10 years from now.
On January 27-28, NOAA held a two-day online, open to the public virtual public hearing event, the last of its short, months-long consultation period. Due to lack of publicized, almost no one knew about it; only a few hundred people participated over the two days hearing, and only a few dozen raised their hands to speak, including our Global Ocean Watch from Action LA Network. The public response was overwhelmingly against, with approximately 90% of those who spoke opposing the TMC application. These were ordinary citizens, students, and environmental organizations, including Earthjustice, Greenpeace USA, the National Defense Council, the National Ocean Protection Coalition, and the Environmental America Policy Research Center; we alo spoke representing Global Ocean Watch.
Arguments AGAINT are very clear and consistent:
- Environmental damage to the world.
- Violation of international law.
- Will trigger war with other countries for deep-sea mining in international waters.
- Lack of transparency in the process; many organizations have urged the release of all information, but only a document with serious gaps and loopholes has been received.
- Unproven technology, reckless, unnecessary, lack of alternative technologies, and high technological costs.
- Labor violations.
- TMC's own research paper also found that the technology may be toxic and environmentally damaging, but they have covered up the truth.
- Release of heavy metals
- Young people speaking for the future
- Misconceptions about "national security"
- Ethical appeals
- Deep-sea mining activities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) had caused irreversible damage to marine ecosystems, jeopardize local food security, and destroy cultural heritage. Key risks include destruction of deep-sea habitats, sediment plumes suffocating marine life, toxic heavy metal pollution, and disruption of livelihoods in coastal fishing communities.
- Severe and comprehensive damage to ecosystems and the local economy.
- Greedy company, questionable financial problems; does TMC really have the money to do this? “We do not want American taxpayers to ultimately bear the cost of this unnecessary and environmentally damaging project. “
- More focus should be placed on recycling technology, not on further unnecessary mining
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s "lightning-fast" approval of this is irresponsible.
- The ancestral lands of Native Hawaiians have been violated without their consent.
It is clear that the vast majority of ordinary people will oppose this project. However, it is worth noting that among the very few "supporters" who spoke, apart from the TMC executives, the others were pushing Chinaphobia or MAGA rhetoric.
Their SUPPORTING arguments include:
- Communist China is dominating the world and causing "damage" to the global environment.
- The leadership of the United States and TMC's advanced environmental technology should be supported.
- Spreading China fear; anyone opposing TMC's application is a left-wing propagandists who funded by Communist China.
- If the United States doesn't do this, other countries (such as China) will do it in its place.
- The economic, industrial, and national security for the United States.
- Deep-sea mining can "avoid" the deforestation of more land-based forests.
The deadline for public comments on TMC license applications by NOAA is February 23, 2026. Anyone can submit written comments on their website:
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-0702
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-1330
We encourage everyone to raise their voice to oppose the risky project that will have a profound impact on our future generations.
--
National Immigrant Solidarity Network http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
ActionLA Network http://www.ActionLA.org
Peace NO War Network http://www..PeaceNOWar.net
Global South News http://www.GlobalSouthNews.org
China-US Solidarity Network http://www.ChinaSolidarity.org
China Delegation Project http://www.chinadelegation.org
Panda Aid http://www.PandaAid.org
Email: ActivistWeb [at] gmail.com
Phone: +1 (626)394-0710
WhatsApp: +1 6263940710
WeChat: 16263940710
To join the Action LA list, send e-mail to: actionla-subscribe [at] lists.riseup.net
or visit: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/actionla
Please Join PeaceNoWar Listserv, send e-mail to: peacenowar-subscribe [at] lists.riseup.net
Please consider making a donation to the important work of National Immigrant Solidarity Network, Action LA Network, China-US Solidarity Network, Panda Aid and Peace NO War Network
Send check pay to:
NISN/AFGJ
National Immigrant Solidarity Network
P.O. Box 751
South Pasadena, CA 91031-0751
During the little-noticed open-to-the public virtual public hearing held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on January 27-28, the NOAA reviewed the application for a license by U.S.-based Canadian company: The Metals Company USA, LLC (TMC) to conduct seabed mining exploration activities in the Pacific Oeacn’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). Almost everyone who spoke strongly against the TMC's application, arguing that it’ll violate international law and would cause incalculable environmental damage to the Pacific Ocean.
In addition, we must be highly vigilant against the right-wings using anti-China and the MAGA rhetoric to push their agenda to colonize the public water at around the world!
Lee Siu Hin
Global Ocean Watch
http://www.GlobalOceanWatch.net
February 3, 2026
https://www.actionla.org/article-detail/69820d069e76a62768fbed35/2-3-pirates-of-the-pacific
In just a few weeks at the beginning of 2026, President Trump had launched multiple bloody wars and military threats around the world, causing almost every public and antiwar activists’ attention. Including: the invasion of Venezuela to kidnap President Maduro and his wife; the military threat to occupy Greenland; secret meeting with far-right separatist forces in Alberta, Canada; and a large-scale military buildup near Iranian coast, preparing for a military attack and the assassination of Iranian leaders—a goal to seize the rich oil and mineral resources of the world. However; at the same time, another U.S. plan “invasion” of Clarion-Clipperton Zone at the South Pacific Ocean for the rich minerals at the seabed, were got little notice from the public.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) is located in the central Pacific Ocean. It is international water, regulated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), and does not belong to any single country. Situated between Hawaii and Mexico, north of the equator, primarily between 5° and 20° north latitude, it has a depth of approximately 4,000 to 6,000 meters and covers an area of about 4.5 million square kilometers. The CCZ is renowned for its abundant polymetallic (manganese) nodules rich in nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese, which is why the United States seeks to illegally claim this area and its seabed resources.
The Metals Company USA, LLC (TMC) is a Canadian company registered in the United States. They have never had any deep-sea exploration qualifications and have been exposed by environmental organizations for causing environmental pollution in their past underwater exploration activities.
The United States has sought to colonize this area for many years, but its efforts accelerated in 2025 after Trump 2.0 took office, granting licenses and funding to the TMC for private commercial activities. Opponents criticize the US government and TMC's actions, arguing that they violate international law, including:
1. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, only the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has the authority to manage mining activities in international waters.
2. US domestic law cannot supersede multilateral obligations and the authority of the ISA.
3. Unilaterally issuing licenses could undermine the principles of a shared human heritage and the requirement for benefit sharing.
After Trump took office in 2025, his administration initially intended to legitimize TMC's exploration in the CCZ by passing legislation in the US Congress, thus overriding international law. However, this plan failed due to strong opposition from environmentalists and the international community. Now, the administration has opted to quietly obtain a license from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US government's body responsible for managing the marine environment, and issue the license to TMC at lightning speed, attempting to force its way through with domineering tactics.
Ironically, Trump 2.0 administration initially had drastically cut NOAA funding but then partially restored it, one of the aims being to expedite the approval of TMC licenses. Environmentalists criticize NOAA's approval process for lack of transparency, with a significant amount of crucial TMC data remaining undisclosed. Since NOAA began "accepting" TMC license applications at the middle of 2025, the public consultation period is currently in its final stages, lasting only a few months until February 23rd, 2026:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/23/2025-23795/deep-seabed-mining-notice-of-receipt-of-applications-for-deep-seabed-mining-exploration-licenses-and
Then, it is highly likely that NOAA will rubber-stamp TMC's license application later in 2026.
Expert points-out that due to TMC's technological shortcomings, their exploration activities in the CCZ will likely end in a disastrous failure, leaving behind a highly polluting mess. However, the biggest concern is that the US could use this operation to seize control of the CCZ waters at a very low cost, arbitrarily establishing it as their permanent “colony”. This is similar to the US funding Elon Musk to launch thousands of Starlink satellites, to occupy most low-Earth orbit satellite communication networks, with the aim of excluding other countries from launching their own satellites. The US could then repeatedly replicate this strategy, arbitrarily claiming control of any high seas around the world, developing its own “colonial“ oceans, and plundering resources. Militarily, through these "maritime enclaves," the US could also use them as launching-pad to attacks on any country it dislikes at closer proximity.
Such a significant event, due to the highly unified U.S. corporate media censorship, meant that apart from environmentalists and residents of the Pacific coastal regions who would be affected, the general public was completely unaware of an event that could profoundly impact us 10 years from now.
On January 27-28, NOAA held a two-day online, open to the public virtual public hearing event, the last of its short, months-long consultation period. Due to lack of publicized, almost no one knew about it; only a few hundred people participated over the two days hearing, and only a few dozen raised their hands to speak, including our Global Ocean Watch from Action LA Network. The public response was overwhelmingly against, with approximately 90% of those who spoke opposing the TMC application. These were ordinary citizens, students, and environmental organizations, including Earthjustice, Greenpeace USA, the National Defense Council, the National Ocean Protection Coalition, and the Environmental America Policy Research Center; we alo spoke representing Global Ocean Watch.
Arguments AGAINT are very clear and consistent:
- Environmental damage to the world.
- Violation of international law.
- Will trigger war with other countries for deep-sea mining in international waters.
- Lack of transparency in the process; many organizations have urged the release of all information, but only a document with serious gaps and loopholes has been received.
- Unproven technology, reckless, unnecessary, lack of alternative technologies, and high technological costs.
- Labor violations.
- TMC's own research paper also found that the technology may be toxic and environmentally damaging, but they have covered up the truth.
- Release of heavy metals
- Young people speaking for the future
- Misconceptions about "national security"
- Ethical appeals
- Deep-sea mining activities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) had caused irreversible damage to marine ecosystems, jeopardize local food security, and destroy cultural heritage. Key risks include destruction of deep-sea habitats, sediment plumes suffocating marine life, toxic heavy metal pollution, and disruption of livelihoods in coastal fishing communities.
- Severe and comprehensive damage to ecosystems and the local economy.
- Greedy company, questionable financial problems; does TMC really have the money to do this? “We do not want American taxpayers to ultimately bear the cost of this unnecessary and environmentally damaging project. “
- More focus should be placed on recycling technology, not on further unnecessary mining
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s "lightning-fast" approval of this is irresponsible.
- The ancestral lands of Native Hawaiians have been violated without their consent.
It is clear that the vast majority of ordinary people will oppose this project. However, it is worth noting that among the very few "supporters" who spoke, apart from the TMC executives, the others were pushing Chinaphobia or MAGA rhetoric.
Their SUPPORTING arguments include:
- Communist China is dominating the world and causing "damage" to the global environment.
- The leadership of the United States and TMC's advanced environmental technology should be supported.
- Spreading China fear; anyone opposing TMC's application is a left-wing propagandists who funded by Communist China.
- If the United States doesn't do this, other countries (such as China) will do it in its place.
- The economic, industrial, and national security for the United States.
- Deep-sea mining can "avoid" the deforestation of more land-based forests.
The deadline for public comments on TMC license applications by NOAA is February 23, 2026. Anyone can submit written comments on their website:
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-0702
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-1330
We encourage everyone to raise their voice to oppose the risky project that will have a profound impact on our future generations.
--
National Immigrant Solidarity Network http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
ActionLA Network http://www.ActionLA.org
Peace NO War Network http://www..PeaceNOWar.net
Global South News http://www.GlobalSouthNews.org
China-US Solidarity Network http://www.ChinaSolidarity.org
China Delegation Project http://www.chinadelegation.org
Panda Aid http://www.PandaAid.org
Email: ActivistWeb [at] gmail.com
Phone: +1 (626)394-0710
WhatsApp: +1 6263940710
WeChat: 16263940710
To join the Action LA list, send e-mail to: actionla-subscribe [at] lists.riseup.net
or visit: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/actionla
Please Join PeaceNoWar Listserv, send e-mail to: peacenowar-subscribe [at] lists.riseup.net
Please consider making a donation to the important work of National Immigrant Solidarity Network, Action LA Network, China-US Solidarity Network, Panda Aid and Peace NO War Network
Send check pay to:
NISN/AFGJ
National Immigrant Solidarity Network
P.O. Box 751
South Pasadena, CA 91031-0751
For more information:
https://www.actionla.org/article-detail/69...
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