21/05/2026
📢 AMERICAN SAMOA SAYS NO TO DEEP SEA MINING
We've decided to keep our community sign-on letter open a little longer to accommodate requests for additional time.
✅ The digital sign-on form remains open. https://forms.gle/HHYs2fJJAPb51Rcy6
✅ Our final day for physical signatures will be Saturday, May 23rd.
If you have questions, concerns, or simply want to learn more about the process, stop by and chat with us. We're happy to share information and answer questions.
And just to be clear:
🚫 We are NOT asking for donations.
🚫 We are NOT fundraising.
✍️ We are simply trying to gather as many sign-ons as possible to demonstrate that the people of American Samoa oppose deep sea mining.
Why are people concerned?
🔹 Our seafood and tuna industry are at risk. American Samoa's economy relies heavily on healthy ocean ecosystems. Deep sea mining can release sediment plumes and metal contaminants into marine food webs that support fisheries.
🔹 The science is still uncertain. Even leading scientists acknowledge there are major gaps in understanding deep-sea ecosystems and the long-term impacts of mining activities.
🔹 The commitment is long-term. BOEM has confirmed that leases can last 20 years or more, potentially locking our seabed into industrial use for decades. There are also NO regulation separating a "exploration" lease from an "exploitation" lease, yet they are making a generation decision at a desk with an environmental assessment instead of a full study.
🔹 Community opposition has been overwhelming. More than 76,000 public comments were submitted during the federal process, with over 80% opposing deep sea mining—yet the proposed Area of Interest expanded from approximately 18 million acres to 33 million acres.
🔹 The benefits remain largely theoretical. Promises of jobs, wealth, national security, and technological advancement are projections. These NOT guarantees. IF, a big IF, there is profit, investors and industry players will get paid first, so "Profit" can be almost nothing to AS.
🔹 Also, debunking the false narrative that "Deep Sea Mining will create lots of jobs for local people." The reality is that DSM depends on specialized ships, engineers, robotics operators, and technical crews that are often brought in from elsewhere. The promised jobs are speculative, while the risks to our fisheries, ocean, and way of life are very real. Meanwhile, the environmental, cultural, and economic risks would be borne by our islands and future generations.
🔹 "It's not our jurisdiction" does not mean we should stay silent. While federal waters are managed by the U.S. government, American Samoa has every right to organize, advocate, submit comments, pursue legal avenues, engage elected leaders, and demand meaningful consultation. Some of the biggest environmental victories in history happened because communities spoke up, even when they did not have final decision-making authority.
This isn't about fear.
It's about asking reasonable questions before making irreversible decisions about the ocean that feeds us, sustains us, and defines who we are.
🌊 Our ocean is not a test site.
🌺 Our home is not an experiment.
✍️ Add your name. Be counted. Be heard.
If the consequences are ours to bear, then our voices deserve to be heard.
