The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) formally certified The Metals Company’s (NASDAQ:TMC) (TMC) second deepsea exploration license application accelerates the explorer’s strategy to secure seabed mining rights under US domestic law.
Certification of the “USA B” application area gives the federal agency approval to begin drafting a site-specific Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed exploration area.
According to the company, the tract, spanning approximately 122,000 square kilometers of the international seabed, contains an estimated 1.02 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules, including high-grade nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese and rare earth elements. August 2025 preliminary assessment.
This decision follows NOAA’s determination on April 28, 2026, that the company’s consolidated application for the separate “USA A” tract was fully compliant under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980 (DSHMRA).
The Nasdaq-listed company shifted its focus to the US statutory framework as early as 2025, bypassing stalled negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has yet to finalize its global exploitation code.
“Today’s certification of our USA B exploration license application is another important milestone in NOAA’s transparent, rules-based process and we look forward to the development and publication of the EIS. Exploration is an important step in unlocking the transformative potential of the untapped nodule resource for the United States,” said CEO and President Gerard Barron. said in a statement.
Under the Cold War-era DSHMRA framework, the US government claims the right to grant licenses to its citizens to conduct deep-sea mining activities in international waters as a form of freedom of the high seas.
NOAA will next publish a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS, followed by a public comment period for both the draft environmental review and the proposed rules, conditions, and restrictions (TCRs) governing the license.
A final decision on the issuance of USA B exploration licenses will be made after the EIS is finalized.
Progress on deep sea mining projects is facing continued resistance from environmental organisations, who argue that deploying industrial collection machinery on the seabed could cause irreversible biodiversity loss and permanently disrupt benthic ecosystems.
In response to ecological concerns, the company has emphasized its continued collection of basic scientific data. Last month, it presented a decade of organic and geochemistry samples collected from the Eastern Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) to DeepData, an open-access repository managed by ISA, between 2013 and 2022.
Exploration activities within the USA B area are expected to yield further technical and environmental data as the regulatory process moves toward a final licensing decision.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Gian Liguid, do not have any direct investment interest in any of the companies mentioned in this article.
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