The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is setting the stage to sell mining rights off the coast of American Samoa as demand surges for critical materials used in electric vehicle batteries, smart phones and other technology.
The Interior Department said Tuesday that it planned to seek information from the public and gauge commercial interest from companies in potentially exploring the area, a first step toward a possible lease sale near the U.S. territory in the South Pacific.
The move follows a request for a lease sale from a company the Interior Department identified as U.S.-based Impossible Metals. It also comes less than a month after Trump signed an executive order intended to accelerate offshore mining and open new opportunities for extracting critical materials from the ocean floor.
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