Fiji, Oct. 22 -- A legal environmental group has sued the U.S government in a bid to stop the Trump administration from pushing through with the 19 November auction of 31 million acres of mineral-rich seabed surrounding American Samoa.
Earthjustice petitioned the federal court in Hawaii for injunctive relief following the Marine Minerals Administration's issuance of the final notice of lease sale for potential deep-sea mining exploration in a section of the waters off the U.S territory.
The U.S government will lease two areas, each for a 20-year term, at a minimum bonus bid of US$3 million to map American Samoa's outer continental shelf lands.
"Critical minerals are no longer just commodities; they are a vital strategic asset in global c...