A global fight is underway over who gets to make the rules for deep-sea mining. What used to be a distant policy discussion is now turning into real action, with some countries preparing to let companies move forward even though international negotiations are still unfinished.
A recent interview with the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority makes the situation clear. The ISA is the organization created under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to manage mining in waters that belong to no single country. They already have rules for exploration. What they still do not have is the final rulebook for actual mining — the part that sets environmental protections, monitoring requirements, and how benefits should be shared.
You can read the interview here:
The concern raised is simple: if countries get tired of waiting, they will create their own systems and move ahead.
That is exactly what the United States appears prepared to do.
Because the U.S. never ratified UNCLOS, it is not required to wait for ISA approval. Instead, it can rely on domestic law to permit companies to operate in international waters. Some see this as faster and more predictable. Others worry it could weaken transparency and environmental safeguards.
Either way, the pressure on the global system just increased.
For the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, this is not a far-away argument between diplomats. It has real meaning for our region.
In the Marianas, people understand that the ocean connects everything. We depend on it for food, work, and cultural continuity. When large-scale industrial plans are discussed for the deep Pacific, it is reasonable for our community to ask how those changes might travel across ecosystems and over time. Islanders are often the first to see when something shifts, and our perspective should carry weight in decisions of this scale.
That is why seabed mining is also about fairness.
Too often, decisions are made far away, while the places closest to the water are left to deal with the consequences. If new industries are going to operate in the Pacific, then Pacific communities should have a meaningful role in shaping how it happens.
I have already urged our own leaders to think about this in practical terms. In January, I wrote to House Speaker, Edmund Villagomez asking that the Commonwealth consider forming a government task force if there isn’t one, focused on deep-sea mining policy, science, and advocacy. The idea is straightforward: organize early, gather knowledge, and make sure we are speaking with clarity before decisions are made for us.
A task force like that could:
- review scientific information and local knowledge
- evaluate legal and policy options
- represent CNMI interests in federal and regional discussions
- keep the public informed
- ensure cultural and environmental priorities are not afterthoughts
This is about being proactive instead of reactive.
Another reality we should be honest about is enforcement.
There is no police force in the middle of the ocean. Influence usually comes from ports, shipping networks, insurers, investors, and the companies that buy the minerals. Whoever controls those gateways ends up shaping which standards matter.
That creates risk for islands — but it can also create opportunity.
If the future of seabed activity depends on strong science, reliable monitoring, and trusted regional partners, then the Marianas can help provide those things. We can be contributors, not spectators.
But that only happens if we prepare now.
If different regulatory systems emerge — some international, others national — power will move quickly. Some places will define the rules. Others will live with them.
The question for us is simple:
Will we help shape what responsible activity looks like in our ocean, or will we wait for others to decide?
The ISA hopes to finish its rules soon. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t.
But change is coming either way.
And when it does, the Marianas should be ready to stand not just as a location on the map, but as a community with the right and the responsibility to be heard.
By Eipéráng (Gregorie Michael Towai)
Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMI News Service or its staff. All assertions are the sole responsibility of the writer.
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