Rep. James Moylan on Deep Sea Mining Benefits for Guam and US Islands

Deep Sea Mining and Critical Minerals

• 💡 The memo notes a lack of US facilities capable of refining critical minerals found in polymetallic nodules.
• 🇯🇵 TMC has processed nodules into critical minerals in Japan, but acknowledges the need for US-based processing facilities.
• 🤝 TMC is in constructive talks with the administration to fast-track the development of these facilities.
• 🇺🇸 Careers Inc., a shareholder of TMC and a global leader in refining outside of China, is interested in helping establish processing and refining facilities in the USA.

Refinement Operations and Location

• 📍 TMC is advanced in its search for a US location, considering sites with a deep-water port, affordable energy, and an available workforce.
• ❓ Impossible Meadows is in an investigation phase for processing, considering government stockpiling or using friendly nations like Japan or the Middle East.
• 🇺🇸 Ultimately, the consensus is that facilities need to be built in the US.

Economic Benefits for US Island Territories

• 📉 Current technologies for land, power, and water use make it unfeasible for small islands like Guam to become critical mineral refinement centers.
• 🏝️ If refinement centers are not built in Guam or other US territories, the economic benefit for these communities is questioned.
• 👷‍♂️ For a processing facility on US soil, substantial job creation is anticipated, with around 830 direct jobs and close to 10,000 total direct and indirect jobs.

Strategic Importance of Domestic Refinement

• 🛡️ Building on US soil ensures a resilient supply chain for critical minerals, which are foundational to many industries.
• 🇨🇳 With 70% of the current nickel supply controlled by China and associated high environmental impacts, domestic production is crucial for an independent supply.
• 🎓 Opportunities exist for academic institutions, such as the University of Hawaii, to study and characterize the environment, building expertise in proximity to the resource for Pacific Islands.