Officials from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management assured CNMI leaders last week that concerns over deep-sea mining are being heard, as the federal agency outlined its early-stage planning framework for evaluating offshore mineral resources.
“We respect people’s rights to freedom of speech,” said Justin Rhee, special advisor with the Office of Insular Affairs under the U.S. Department of the Interior. “And the concerns that there were—you can assure that whatever concerns are being raised right now are being heard. We’re collecting all this information.”
Rhee led the BOEM delegation that met with Gov. David M. Apatang during a morning meeting on Feb. 27 at the Governor’s Office on Capitol Hill, followed by an afternoon session with CNMI government agencies. The delegation also included Douglas Boren, BOEM Pacific regional director; Jeremy Potter, Pacific studies chief and biologist; and Natalie Dayal, project coordinator.
Responding to questions from reporters about the importance of the meetings, Rhee emphasized the significance of engaging directly with the CNMI.
“We take great value in engaging with our fellow Americans in CNMI, and also greatly value our partnership with the government of CNMI,” he said. “We wouldn’t be out here traveling from so far away if this wasn’t significant.”
During the meetings, BOEM officials detailed the framework the agency uses to evaluate offshore areas for potential mineral leasing. They stressed that the planning document does not authorize offshore drilling, mining, or exploration activity, but instead outlines early-stage considerations that would come before any decision to offer leases.
According to BOEM, the evaluation process begins with geological and technical studies to determine whether offshore areas may contain recoverable mineral resources.
These assessments are followed by economic analysis and environmental reviews required under federal law.
Environmental considerations, BOEM said, are integrated throughout the process and include potential impacts on marine ecosystems, fisheries, protected species, cultural and historic resources, and existing ocean uses such as navigation and military operations.
BOEM also coordinates with other federal agencies and consults with coastal states and U.S. territories during the planning stages. Any offshore area identified for possible leasing would be subject to additional public review, with separate environmental analyses and site-specific approvals required before any exploration or development activity could occur.
The planning framework applies nationwide, including offshore areas adjacent to the CNMI and Guam.
Floyd Masga, administrator of the CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, said the meetings reflected the administration’s emphasis on transparency and agency involvement.
“This meeting is part of the governor’s public outreach, community involvement, but most importantly, agency involvement,” Masga said. “It’s the administration’s transparency with regard to this entire process.”
He said the discussions were productive, despite protests outside the meeting venue.
“I think it went very well, except for the noise outside,” he said. “In actuality, this is where we wanted to hear responses that could help the community and, of course, help the agencies involved.”
Asked what assurances BOEM and the Department of the Interior provided regarding deep-sea mining, Masga pointed to the agency’s step-by-step approach.
“It shows the transparency and their involvement—in other words, to share information with the community,” he said. “They have their request for information, then visits, then more visits. We’re just following the steps from my understanding.”
Masga said he welcomed BOEM’s presence on Saipan and expressed hope that future visits would include Rota and Tinian as well. He also acknowledged the demonstrators’ concerns.
“It’s their right—freedom of speech,” Masga said. “They have their own beliefs and concerns. They are involved in our community as well, so they have every right to be out there and speak up.”
Outside the Governor’s Office, protesters voiced strong opposition to deep-sea mining and broader federal activities in the region.
Poima Tarkong, a Saipan resident, said her opposition is rooted in cultural values.
“I’m here because I’m a daughter of the Marianas. I’m born and raised here in Saipan, Chamorro,” she said. “Growing up, we were taught that our land is sacred, our oceans are sacred. And it’s very disheartening to know that they want to desecrate our ocean, pollute it. Deep-sea mining is just not the answer.”
Tarkong said protesters were troubled by what they perceived as a lack of seriousness from officials inside the meeting.
“It’s disheartening to see people laughing at us and not taking us seriously when this is a really serious matter—not only in the Marianas, but all of Micronesia,” she said.
Another protester, Catherine Atalig, described herself as a Chamorro woman and a concerned resident of Saipan who opposes deep-sea mining and continued military use of the islands.
“We live in a time where there is insane environmental collapse happening around the globe,” Atalig said. “And we want to mess with our ocean. We want to mine the deepest part of our ocean here in the Marianas Trench.”
Atalig warned of potential impacts on food security and the marine ecosystem.
“It’s going to cause irreversible damage to our ocean ecosystem,” she said. “Who knows the effects it will have on our food supply? We already live in the CNMI, where over 90% of our food comes from imported goods.”
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