"The Metals Company, a prominent seabed-mining company, applauded the change and filed a new application more than doubling the area it hopes to mine."
"On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration finalized a new rule making it easier for companies to apply for the right to mine the deep ocean floor.
The next day, the Metals Company, a seabed mining start-up, submitted a new application that more than doubled the area it was seeking to exploit. The new rule could significantly shorten the company’s path to mining the seafloor, a change it celebrated.
“Nearly 50 years after this industry took shape, it’s ready to move forward,” a company spokesman wrote in an email. The new NOAA rules streamline commercial and exploratory applications to mine the seabed into a single process, cutting in half the number of required environmental assessments and public-comment periods."
Sachi Kitajima Mulkey reports for the New York Times January 22, 2026.
SEE ALSO:
"Trump Administration Speeding Deep-Sea Mining Permits In International Waters" (The Hill)
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