French Polynesia objects to an American seabed mining plan made without its input

This is a story about international ocean policy, not something that touches home energy upgrades directly, but here's the gist for those following it.

French Polynesia says it was never properly consulted about a U.S. company's plan to explore for seabed minerals in international waters near its coast. The company, American Deep Sea Minerals, has applied to U.S. regulators for a permit to search for minerals used in batteries and military technology, in an area called Eastern High Seas Pocket 3, surrounded by the maritime borders of the Cook Islands, Kiribati, and French Polynesia. The Trump administration has been inviting companies to apply for these permits directly through the U.S. rather than through the International Seabed Authority, the body that normally oversees mining in international waters — a move other countries call a violation of international law.

French Polynesia's president, Moetai Brotherson, said the company sent only a brief email and never followed up with details, so no real consultation happened. The territory banned seabed mining in its own waters in 2022 and later expanded protections to cover nearly all of its exclusive economic zone, an area home to sharks, coral, and tuna that many Indigenous residents rely on for fishing and cultural practices. Brotherson wants any U.S. review of the project to include a full, independent environmental study and a real say for Pacific nations, especially since regulators recently cut back the number of environmental reviews required for these permits. The application is open for public comment online until August 3.