The order, which Trump signed in private on Thursday, seeks to jump-start the mining of both US and international waters as part of a push to offset China’s sweeping control of the critical minerals industry. The United States has a core national security and economic interest in maintaining leadership in deep-sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources,” Trump said in the order.

The order directs the US administration to expedite mining permits under the Deep Seabed Hard Minerals Resource Act of 1980 and to establish a process for issuing permits along the US outer continental shelf.

It also orders the expedited review of seabed mining permits “in areas beyond the national jurisdicti Environmental groups are calling for all deep-sea mining activities to be banned, warning that industrial operations on the ocean floor could cause irreversible biodiversity loss. The United States government has no right to unilaterally allow an industry to destroy the common heritage of humankind, and rip up the deep sea for the profit of a few corporations,” Greenpeace’s Arlo Hemphill said. Deep-sea mining targets resources such as potato-sized polymetallic nodules from depths of 4,000 to 6,000 metres. The nodules contain critical materials, including manganese, iron, cobalt, copper and nickel, which are used by the defence, aerospace, energy and tech industries.on”, a move likely to cause friction with the international community.  (Al Jazeera)