Public paper · October 10, 2026 · Mining desk
NOAA Accepts Eco Minerals Deep Seabed Mining Exploration License Application for the Pacific; Virtual Hearing November 16, Comments Due December 14
NOAA says an application from Eco Minerals, Inc. for a deep seabed mining exploration license in the Pacific's Clarion-Clipperton Zone and an area between Guam and Wake Island is fully compliant with the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act's information requirements. A virtual public hearing is set for November 16, 2026, and written comments are due December 14.
noticenearby.com/papers/noaa-eco-minerals-deep-seabed-exploration-license-hearing-nov-16.pdf
NOAA's Office for Coastal Management has received an application from Eco Minerals, Inc. for a license to conduct deep seabed mining exploration, and has found it "fully compliant with the applicable information requirements" of the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), according to a notice (FR Doc. 2026-20830, Docket No. 260930-0006) scheduled for the Federal Register on October 13, 2026.
Where
According to NOAA, the amended application, received December 5, 2025, covers exploration in the seabed area beyond national jurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean, in areas of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and an area between Guam and Wake Island.
What happens next
- Virtual public hearing: November 16, 2026, 3 to 5 p.m. Eastern, held on Adobe Connect. Attendance is limited to 1,000 people.
- Registration deadline: November 12, 2026, 5 p.m. Eastern. People who want to speak should say so when they register. NOAA says each speaker gets three minutes, called first come, first served.
- Written comments: due December 14, 2026 through regulations.gov docket NOAA-NOS-2026-2608, where the application is posted. NOAA accepts anonymous comments.
NOAA notes that statements in the application "do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the views of the U.S. Government." A finding that an application is complete is a procedural step under the Act (30 U.S.C. 1426(a)(1)), not a decision to issue a license.
Why it matters
Deep seabed mining for hard minerals, such as polymetallic nodules, is a new and contested activity for U.S. regulators. Exploration licenses come before any commercial recovery permit. The public notice and hearing are where fishing interests, Pacific communities, scientists and industry can put their views on the record.
Source
- Federal Register, FR Doc. 2026-20830 (NOAA National Ocean Service, Notice of Receipt of Application for Deep Seabed Mining Exploration License and Announcement of Public Comment Period and Virtual Public Hearing), signed by Neil A. Jacobs, NOAA Administrator; filed October 9, 2026.
Notes and sources
- Author: Ryan Standley / Record of Sale, LLC / Notice Nearby.
- Discussed on @NoticeNearYou: (pending — fill xPostUrl after live post).
- Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).
Mining desk · Notice Nearby public papers shelf. @NoticeNearYou post pending.
Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).