International Seabed Authority Responds to Trump Plan
The International Seabed Authority has issued a statement following the announcement that deep-sea mining firm The Metals Co has asked the Trump administration to approve its plans to mine the international seabed.This would make it the first such company to seek the government's permission to operate outside U.S. territorial waters, and it comes after a US Executive order “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources” which was issued on April 24.Leticia Reis de Carvalho Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority, said: “The issuance of an
First Deep-Sea Mining Company Asks Trump for International Permit
Deep-sea mining firm The Metals Co asked the Trump administration on Tuesday to approve its plans to mine the international seabed, making it the first such company to seek the government's permission to operate outside U.S. territorial waters.Last week President Donald Trump signed an order aiming to jumpstart mining in both domestic and international waters in an attempt to boost U.S. access to critical minerals and reduce China's market control.The move ratchets up tension between Washington and the United Nations-backed International Seabed Authority, which has been crafting mining standards
China Concerned About US Deep-Sea Metals Stockpile Plan
No country should bypass international laws to authorise resource exploration in the seabed, China's foreign ministry said on Monday, following a report of U.S. plans to stockpile deep-sea metals to counter China's dominance in the sector.The Trump administration is drafting an executive order to enable stockpiling of deep-sea metals found on the Pacific Ocean seabed to counter China's dominance of battery minerals and rare earth supply chains, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.The stockpile would "create large quantities ready and
White House Aims to Eliminate NOAA Climate Research
, agency research laboratories, and cooperative institutes, among other programs.NOAA, a division of the Department of Commerce, is a scientific agency that oversees weather and climate forecasts, monitors ocean and atmospheric conditions and manages the nation's commercial fisheries.The Trump administration has fired hundreds of NOAA workers as part of its effort to slash government bureaucracy.“No final funding decisions have been made,” Alexandra McCandless, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said in an email.Environmental groups criticized the proposal
Trump Plans to Stockpile Deep Sea Metals
The Trump administration is drafting an executive order to enable the stockpiling of metals found on the Pacific Ocean seabed to counter China's dominance in battery minerals and rare earth supply chains, The Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.(Reuters - Reporting by Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Potter)
NOAA Fires Previously Reinstated Probationary Workers
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has fired previously reinstated probationary workers after an appeals court on April 9 cleared the way for the Trump administration to fire thousands of employees, according to five sources familiar with the situation.The agency, which sits within the Department of Commerce, fired more than 800 employees on February 27, one of many federal agencies to fire probationary workers as President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk seek to shrink the federal workforce.The employees were then reinstated on March 17 to administrative leave
Trump Moves to More Easily Fire NOAA, DOE Employees
The Trump administration has begun the process of reclassifying workers at some agencies to a new job category with fewer protections, according to two sources familiar with the situation and an email seen by Reuters.The moves, which the sources said are taking place at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Energy, are the first evidence the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is following through on a plan announced in his first day in office to recategorize tens of thousands of government workers to facilitate layoffs and remove career civil servants
NOAA Scientist Dismissals Spark Protests
More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) building in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, protesting sweeping layoffs imposed by the Trump administration. According to two current employees, the cuts affected more than 10% of the scientific workforce at the facility.The rally was spearheaded by former U.S. Congressman David Skaggs, a Democrat from Colorado, after whom the NOAA building in Boulder is named. Skaggs, initially expecting only around 100 participants, was surprised by the large turnout, with police estimating attendance at over 1,000.
First Solar Bars Use of Deep-Sea Minerals
on worries that the quest to exploit the seabed for rare metals like those used for electric vehicle batteries could damage the ocean's ecosystem.But it could encourage shareholders worried about the backlash against environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment considerations from the Trump Administration and other Republican U.S. officials.The springtime annual meeting season is approaching against the backdrop of the early days of Trump's second term, which have brought chaos to disbursal of U.S. foreign assistance, uncertainty for automakers and pressure on corporate diversity programs
February 2025
