BOEM Advances Offshore Minerals Planning Efforts in American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced key developments in its offshore critical minerals planning, with the completion of Area Identification offshore American Samoa and the release of a Request for Information and Interest for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

These actions mark progress in BOEM’s efforts to responsibly evaluate leasing opportunities for critical minerals on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf, supporting U.S. manufacturing, national security, and economic resilience.

These efforts further the directives in President Trump’s April 2025 Executive Order 14285, “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources,” which call for the rapid development of domestic capabilities for the exploration, characterization, collection, and processing of seabed mineral resources through streamlined permitting without compromising environmental and transparency standards.

American Samoa – Area Identification

BOEM completed the area identification, which determines the specific areas on the Outer Continental Shelf that will undergo environmental review of proposed commercial leases for critical minerals in the form of an environmental assessment pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.

The environmental assessment will analyze the action of leasing and authorization of preliminary activities. Preliminary activities are defined as actions that have no significant adverse impact on natural resources and only allow a leaseholder