Council mulls resolution on moratorium for seabed mining

The specter of seabed mining in federal waters in Norton Sound is no longer a theoretical endeavor but may come to waters near you as the U.S. Department of the Interior contemplates a minerals lease sale off the coast of Nome.
Commercial seabed mining for minerals other than oil, gas or sulfur is a novel concept and has not been done before, according to Kawerak Marine Advocate Anna Rose MacArthur, who briefed the Nome Common Council on the issue and asked the council to pass a resolution asking for a moratorium on seabed mining.
Earlier this year, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management, known as BOEM and now renamed to be the Marine Minerals Administration, opened a comment period on seabed mining lease sales offshore of Norton Sound, Goodnews Bay, the Aleutians, the Gulf of Alaska and in the Arctic, altogether, about 113 million acres. Kawerak submitted comments of concern.
Ken Hughes, the Mayor of Nome submitted a letter in support, albeit cautioning it be done responsibly. “The City of Nome supports the responsible development of the rich bed of minerals found within the OCS including those embedded in the heavy mineral sands located in Norton Sound waters just offshore of Nome,” wrote Hughes. “The 49 minerals found in the Alaskan OCS belong to the U.S. and simply must be extracted by American companies for the benefit of the nation – while taking into consideration and protecting both subsistence resources and commercial fishing.”
Seabed mining on a commercial scale has not been done in the US, nor globally, and is an experimental industry with too many unknowns, argue those asking for a moratorium. It has the potential to damage the marine environment, impacts on fish and therefor fisheries and potential harm to marine and subsistence resources.
A proposed resolution on the table for discussion at the Nome Common Council listed the importance of the ocean and its bounty as important for sustenance, culture and health, as well as pointing out the novelty of seabed mining that needs further study on its effects. The resolution would support a moratorium on the exploration, leasing and extraction of seabed mineral resources in Alaska until environmental, subsistence, cultural and cumulative impacts have been evaluated and understood. It also seeks to call upon the Dept. of Interior to suspend consideration of seabed mineral lease sales.
Kawerak passed a similar resolution and AFN just last weekend also signed off on a resolution to the same effect.
Council member Mark Johnson supported passing the resolution as it for now only asks for a moratorium until more research has been done. “We do have viable fishery. We have viable crabbing. We have hunters and fishers throughout the region. And if this has an impact on any of those things, then it's going to have an impact on us all,” Johnson said.
Council member Adam Lust wanted to see the resolution language more tailored to Nome and Norton Sound. Mayor Ken Hughes took issue with the “tone” of the resolution. “The resolution, as written, is inflammatory and is one that puts people on opposite sides of a fence,” Hughes said. He also wanted to see the city’s resolution more narrowly focused on the areas of interest, namely Nome and the surrounding villages.
City Clerk Dan Grimmer, who works remotely, said he would work on the resolution and it would be presented to the council for consideration.