The two tracks are legally distinct. The ISA governs mineral activities on the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, while the proposed American Samoa leases would be in waters under U.S. jurisdiction. Together, however, they show how demand for critical minerals is testing the pace and reach of ocean governance.

ISA work remains focused on standards

On July 1, the ISA posted a consultancy call seeking support for draft standards and guidelines on environmental thresholds. The call is part of continuing technical work on the rules that would govern any future exploitation in the international seabed area.

The second part of the ISA’s 31st session ran in Kingston from July 13 through July 31, according to the United Nations’ Indico calendar. The council agenda included reports on national legislation related to deep-seabed mining, exploration contracts and the relinquishment of portions of exploration areas.

Those agenda items represent continuing regulatory work, not an authorization to begin commercial mining. The ISA says there is currently no commercial exploitation of deep-sea minerals in the international seabed area, known as “the Area.” The activities now taking place are exploration operations for scientific and resource-assessment purposes.

What the international framework covers

The ISA says its mandate includes organizing and controlling mineral-related activities in the Area and protecting the marine environment from harmful effects that could arise from those activities.

The Area covers about 54% of the world’s oceans, according to the ISA. It is the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, where mineral resources are managed through an international framework intended to benefit humanity as a whole.

The immediate regulatory question is therefore not simply whether minerals are present. It is whether regulators can establish credible limits for disturbance, pollution, monitoring and ecosystem protection before commercial operations are approved.

Why American Samoa is a separate track

The U.S. proposal concerns waters surrounding American Samoa and is outside the ISA’s jurisdiction. Associated Press reported that the proposed leasing notice covers 33 million acres, or about 51,560 square miles.

The initial leases would support preliminary activities such as geophysical surveys, biological sampling and oceanographic measurements. Any future mining would require a separate plan and additional approval following environmental review, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management assessment cited by AP.

The assessment acknowledged uncertainty and data gaps in deeper waters, where biodiversity, ecological functions and baseline conditions remain poorly characterized. AP also reported that the proposed area is near the Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and several national marine sanctuaries.

What readers should watch next

The American Samoa action is a proposed leasing process, not a completed auction and not automatic permission to mine. The next steps include agency decisions, environmental review and responses from affected governments and communities.

For the ISA, the important signals will be final regulatory documents, environmental standards and decisions on how any future exploitation would be monitored and controlled. The July work did not itself approve commercial mining rules or authorize mining.

The practical stakes extend from possible supplies of minerals used in technology, energy and defense to the condition of deep-ocean ecosystems and the interests of Pacific island communities. Because the U.S. and international tracks operate under different legal systems, safeguards adopted for one part of the ocean would not automatically govern the other.

Sources

• International Seabed Authority environmental-thresholds consultancy call
• U.N. Indico record of the ISA 31st session
• Associated Press report on proposed American Samoa leases

On July 24, delegates adopted an approach for continuing work on exploitation rules and invited written proposals and comments by October 1, 2026. The Council met from July 13 through July 24 during Part II of the Authority’s 31st session.

The decision keeps the Mining Code unfinished. It did not authorize a completed commercial-mining regime, leaving major questions about how activities in international seabed areas would be monitored, inspected, enforced and brought to a close.

What the July decision changed

The roadmap establishes the next procedural stage: governments and other participants can submit written proposals and comments before the October 1 deadline, ahead of further negotiations. The session documents identify draft and working materials covering exploitation regulations, compliance and enforcement, environmental management and monitoring, closure plans, environmental goals, inspection, liability-related mechanisms, benefit-sharing and other institutional and operational issues.

That list shows that negotiations are continuing across the regulatory system rather than addressing a single remaining technical detail. The Council’s action sets a path for more work, but it does not settle the substance of the rules.

What remains unresolved

Delegates also failed to reach consensus on the election mechanism for members of the Economic Planning Commission, an institutional body linked to the seabed governance system. The issue was deferred to a future session.

The Council agreed that its next scheduled meetings will be held from March 8-19, 2027, and July 12-23, 2027. In the meantime, the process will focus on written submissions, intersessional work and further drafting.

For companies and sponsoring states, the delay means the conditions for seeking approval in international seabed areas remain unsettled. For states and environmental groups concerned about ocean protection, safeguards, monitoring and enforcement provisions have not yet been finalized.

A separate legal dispute

The negotiations also unfolded against a legal dispute involving the Authority’s inquiry process. The Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea delivered provisional-measures orders on July 18 in claims brought by Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. and Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd.

In a July 19 statement, the ISA said it had taken note of the orders and emphasized that they did not prejudice the Chamber’s jurisdiction over the merits or decide the underlying claims. The Authority also said its inquiry process under the Council’s July 21, 2025, decision remains in effect.

The provisional nature of the measures is important. They add legal uncertainty around the dispute, but they are not a final finding of wrongdoing or a final ruling on the claims.

Why jurisdiction matters

The ISA regulates mineral activities in the international seabed area, beyond national jurisdiction. Mining activity in waters under a country’s national jurisdiction follows a different legal framework.

That distinction matters as commercial and national pressure for seabed mining develops in parallel. Activity proposed or conducted under national authority cannot simply be treated as an ISA-approved project, and the July roadmap does not change that division.

The immediate next step is the October 1 written-proposal and comment deadline. The larger question is whether future negotiations can produce a complete and enforceable Mining Code covering environmental safeguards, inspections, compliance, closure, liability and benefit-sharing.

Sources

• International Seabed Authority — July 2026 Council session documents
• Earth Negotiations Bulletin — July 24 ISA Council report
• International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea — Nauru case docket

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced on July 16, 2026, that it had completed an environmental assessment and made a Proposed Leasing Notice available for mineral exploration in federal waters near the territory. The notice was published in the Federal Register on July 17.

A final leasing notice and sale date have not been issued. If BOEM proceeds, the agency must provide at least 30 days’ notice before any sale.

What the proposed leases would cover

BOEM’s proposal could involve up to two leases covering approximately 16.6 million acres each. An alternative structure would use five smaller leases.

The leases would initially allow activities such as bathymetric mapping, geological and geophysical surveys, biological sampling, and oceanographic measurements. The purpose would be to learn more about potential mineral deposits and the surrounding seafloor.

That is different from approving a mine. The proposed leases would not permit commercial extraction of minerals. A company seeking to move beyond preliminary exploration would need to submit a separate delineation, testing, or mining plan. BOEM approval and additional environmental review would also be required, according to the agency’s environmental assessment.

Why the environmental questions remain unsettled

BOEM’s assessment concludes that the proposed preliminary activities are not expected to cause substantial adverse impacts if required safeguards are followed. At the same time, the agency identifies major gaps in knowledge about deep-ocean biodiversity, ecological functions, and baseline conditions, particularly at abyssal depths.

That uncertainty is central to the debate. Surveys and limited sampling could provide information needed for future decisions, but they could also disturb parts of an ecosystem that remain poorly studied. The assessment does not establish that commercial mining would be environmentally safe or that it will ultimately proceed.

American Samoa’s territorial position

The proposal also creates a political tension between federal mineral policy and the territorial government’s stated opposition. The American Samoa government lists Executive Order 006-2024, which established a moratorium on deep-seabed mining exploration and exploitation activities under territorial authority.

The order applies to the territory’s jurisdiction and does not automatically control federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf. That distinction means the territorial moratorium and the federal leasing process can exist at the same time, even though they reflect sharply different policy positions.

The Associated Press reported that the proposal has drawn opposition from residents and territorial officials, adding a local political dimension to the federal process.

How international rules fit in

The American Samoa proposal should not be confused with mining in international waters. The International Seabed Authority governs mineral activities in the international seabed area beyond national jurisdiction. The ISA says exploration contracts exist, but commercial exploitation in international waters has not been approved.

For now, the immediate change is procedural: BOEM has proposed a federal leasing step and completed an environmental assessment. The next major milestones are a final leasing notice, any decision to hold a sale, and—if exploration later produces a commercial proposal—separate plans and environmental reviews for mining itself.

Sources

• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
• Associated Press
• American Samoa Government
• International Seabed Authority