MMA issues final leasing notice for American Samoa offshore mineral sale

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American Samoa mineral lease sale

Highlights

Marine Minerals Administration released the Final Leasing Notice for Lease Sale PACM-1, offering two offshore areas near American Samoa, with the auction set for November 19, 2026.
The notice details available lease areas, timeline, terms, rental and royalty rates, and will be published in the Federal Register on October 20, 2026.
Winning bids grant only preliminary activity rights such as mapping, while any mineral extraction requires a multi-stage post-auction regulatory approval process.

Lease terms set ahead of November auction

As announced by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Marine Minerals Administration has made available the Final Leasing Notice for Lease Sale PACM-1, covering an Outer Continental Shelf minerals lease sale offshore American Samoa. The notice lays out the areas on offer, the sale schedule, lease terms and stipulations, rental and royalty rates, and guidance for prospective bidders.

The notice is scheduled to go on public display in the Federal Register on October 20, 2026, and the auction is set for November 19, 2026. MMA is offering two offshore lease areas for bid in what it describes as the first such sale for the area.

Acting MMA Director Mike Olsen says critical minerals have become a strategic asset tied to energy efficiency, national defense, and domestic supply chains. He also says the agency is weighing the cultural, economic, and environmental significance of the ocean floor around American Samoa as it reviews potential deep-sea resources.

Regulatory process limits immediate operations

A winning bid and lease award do not, by themselves, grant permission for commercial extraction of seabed minerals. Instead, the lease would authorize only preliminary activities such as mapping, with any further exploration, testing, or harvesting subject to a multi-stage post-auction regulatory process.

MMA says its approach remains guided by science, environmental review, and engagement with American Samoa's people and leadership. Supporting materials, including maps and the final notice, are available through the agency's American Samoa lease sale page.

In our earlier article, we examined China’s stance on keeping rare earth shipments to Europe moving through ongoing export-license approvals, even as a temporary U.S.-China trade truce nears a key January deadline. We also highlighted how EU-China talks are focused on maintaining supply flows for strategic materials, underscoring the growing geopolitical and regulatory risks surrounding critical-minerals access.

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