CBS News 60 minutes Why the U.S. hasn't joined the race for deep sea mining in international waters. It’s a 13 minute report. There's a second one from 2019 too if you watch 60 Minute Rewind.
There are two parts if you continue to watch the 60 Minute Rewind after the ‘Why …. ‘ programme that was shown on March 24 2024. The programme can be found here
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-the-us-hasnt-joined-the-race-for-deep-sea-mining-in-international-waters-60-minutes-transcript/
The March gives some background about why in 2012 ;when the treaty was first put forward for ratification and it looked like it would get passed no problem, it failed. The reason was 34 Republican senators who objected in 2012, there are 32 of them still around today and are still objecting on the basis that they feel it is an affront to US sovereignty.
As a result its explains, until the treaty is ratified, all the US can do is watch, whilst China takes the lead.
It notes that China is raising its game while the United States is falling behind and could be undermining its own future and resource security by not ratifying the treaty.
It seems the main reason the US hasn’t ratified the treaty is the Heritage Foundation; who managed to persuade 34 Republican senators back in 2012 to reject the treaty despite most, at the time, being in favour and that included the US Intelligence, Military and Major Business groups. Today, those senators are still opposed today. on the basis that they don’t want to cede authority to the UN to be able to regulate over US activities.
In fact the US has a long track record in not ratifying treaties whilst expecting others too and then enforcing treaties that it hasn’t itself ratified. But in this case it has been render powerless whilst others and especially China take the lead
Who is The Heritage Foundation? On it’s webpage is states that
'The Heritage Foundation is building an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish.
Heritage’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.’
Strange then that because of what the senators call the issue of sovereignty it is prepared to allow China to take not only the lead in negotiating how this resource will be mined but also at present be the biggest miner whilst the US can only watch. That is in fact as the programmes show undermining the US’s strong defence. But there is a member of Heritage interviewed and he say that because China doesn’t adhere to all the treaty’s rules then the US shouldn’t ratify is. It not a logic than makes any sense to me. He also claims that business doesn’t want get involved because it doesn’t make commercial sense. Recent trials show that it wrong and he is also wrong because Lockheed still maintains an interest although it cannot exercise it.
In the past couple of month another attempt to ratify the treaty is underway; lead by current and former politicians, diplomats and military leaders. But as the report shows some Republican Senators are not prepared to move.
The treasure is the polymetallic nodules that lie on the sea bed, between 4,000 and 6,400 meters down, for context that is deeper than where the titanic rests. No light, subzero temperatures and huge pressures as last years implosion of the Titan in June 2023 tragically demonstrated.
There.s more if you watch the 60 minute rewind from November 17 2019 this segment looks at where the nodules are found and why they so important and what is involved in collecting them, from over 4 miles down. Its on the research vessel that Deep Green Metals (which would in turn merge into TMC) was using at the time.
Worth watching just too see footage the sea life 4,000m down, that is deeper than where the Titanic rests. Which is amongst the nodules seemed limited to a couple of sea plants although other footages which didn’t have nodules showed an albino octopus, and a few other new species. The marine biologists are against the mining, likening it to strip mining on the land. Only there isn’t any actual digging involved, no permanent scarring as the processes are about sucking up the nodules. Plus they admit before the commercial deep sea miners came only they hadn’t been down that deep; so it’s all pretty new. Also that there areas off limits to mining and the fact that the miners are committed to protecting the environment and conducting the research so that the impact can be monitored. Something land mining has only recently started to do with new mines.
Even in 2019 China was leading the process. So it doesn’t take much imagination to think how much further China has got whilst the US watches.