Amata Delivers Seabed Concerns Message to Committee
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata delivered her message of seabed concerns to Members of the House Natural Resources Committee (HNR) via a statement in a Thursday hearing, as well as submitted comments for the record, and posed key questions to the witnesses.
Congresswoman Amata is a Member of HNR and two of its subcommittees. As she does not routinely serve on this subcommittee that was holding this hearing on national security and other issues surrounding seabed mining, she joined as a Member of HNR, and stated the issue’s importance to her district.
“I reiterated to the committee the united opposition of myself and the entirety of all American Samoa leadership in our territory’s executive and legislative branches to seabed mining in our waters. I provided the committee with my previous comments to BOEM and I stand by those concerns,” she said. “I appreciate our Committee examining the national security and environmental dynamics, and I further emphasized our cultural issues and responsibilities as well.”
Video HERE of Amata’s statement, and questions to witnesses.
In her questions to witnesses, Amata asked about the idea of profit sharing to American Samoa, either the company or the federal government, following up on possibilities that have been discussed and receiving additional assurances in the response. She also raised concerns about environmental damage and the status of new technologies.
Amata’s statement in the mineral resources hearing
After opening with a thank you to Chairman Stauber and Ranking Member Ansari, the testifying witnesses, and American Samoa’s executive and legislative leadership by name, Amata highlighted her concerns:
“The topic of today’s hearing is one that stands to have a major impact on my district of American Samoa. As has been reiterated several times today, the critical minerals issue is also an issue of national security. With one of the highest rates of military enlistment in the nation and being on the front lines of Chinese encroachment in the Pacific, the people of American Samoa understand security very well. However, I want to highlight for my colleagues and the other interested parties present the potential cultural and economic impact this type of deep-sea activity may have for a small island territory,” Amata stated. “To the indigenous people of American Samoa, the ocean is not just the backbone of our local economy, it is sacred. I understand that we are discussing federally controlled waters, but as it stands, the American Samoan people are opposed to deep sea mining. We have yet to be convinced the benefits will outweigh the costs of this occurring so close to our beloved waters. Therefore, if the United States government is going to follow through on this venture, I must insist that we do so with the people of the territories in mind. First and foremost, our fishing stocks and sea floor need to remain intact. Fishing is our lifeblood, and if the technology is not ready or will harm the environment, we simply can’t proceed.”
She continued, “Secondly, if the government does proceed, I ask that we explore and prioritize agreements which directly bolster the economies of communities closest to the mining activity. If this is the tactic we have chosen to combat Chinese influence, we would do well to remember who, where, and what it is we are trying to protect.”
“With the committee’s permission I would like to enter into the record the comments I submitted for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Request for Information and Interest on Commercial Leasing for Outer Continental Shelf Minerals Offshore American Samoa which contains further details of my stance on the matter,” she concluded. “In it, I echo the governor, our local leaders, and the people’s clear wishes not to mine in and around our islands and to ensure a minimum distance of no less than 50 miles – preferably more – as is consistent with other commercial activities.”
NOAA Mapping Announcement
In related news, on Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of Coast Survey announced a hydrographic survey to map and characterize over 30,000 square nautical miles of waters off American Samoa to support the characterization of the seabed composition for abundance and type of critical minerals and nodules, with that mapping work scheduled to begin in February 2026.
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