🚨Trump’s Greed Is Killing the Ocean—and Putting Our Communities at Risk
🗽People Power United is a grassroots group of over 250,000+ members in all 50 states. We champion progress and power to the people.
Donald Trump’s presidency has been defined by disregard for the law, for science, for global cooperation—and for our planet. His latest attack? An executive order to fast-track mining operations on one of Earth’s most fragile ecosystems: the deep ocean floor. This reckless move violates decades of international consensus and threatens irreversible damage to our climate and communities.
Nearly every major coastal nation has signed the 1994 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, establishing a framework for deep-sea mining under the International Seabed Authority (ISA). However, the U.S., thanks to Trump’s hostility toward global cooperation, never ratified it. Instead, Trump is exploiting an obscure 1980 law to grant mining permits in international waters that belong to all of humanity—not just corporations.
The deep sea contains polymetallic nodules rich in cobalt, nickel, and manganese—metals essential to modern technologies. Rather than invest in innovation or recycling, Trump is pushing a scorched-earth strategy to dominate extraction. Companies like the Metals Company have already spent hundreds of millions hoping to cash in while brushing off scientific warnings about environmental collapse.
No commercial seabed mining has ever occurred—because the risks are enormous. The technology is barely tested, and scientists warn that mining could wipe out species we haven’t even discovered yet. Deep-sea ecosystems regulate the planet’s climate, sustain fisheries, and support biodiversity. Destroying them would have catastrophic ripple effects on food security, coastal economies, and the fight against climate change.
This isn’t about American workers or communities. It’s about corporate greed, aided by Trump’s contempt for international law and environmental protections. His administration has always treated natural resources as commodities to plunder, whether by pulling out of the Paris Accord, gutting regulations, or moving to open public lands to drilling. This deep-sea mining order is simply the next chapter.
The world is pushing back. Over 30 countries and major companies like BMW, Apple, and Google have pledged not to use seabed minerals. In Congress, Representative Ed Case of Hawaii introduced the American Seabed Protection Act to stop Trump’s NOAA from issuing mining permits without environmental safeguards.
Trump’s rush to mine the deep sea is not about security or leadership but greed. And unless we act, the ocean’s fragile ecosystems will be destroyed before we fully understand them.
We must demand Congress block these permits. We must support the global call for a moratorium. We must hold accountable those willing to sacrifice our planet for profit.
Because once the ocean floor is ripped apart, there’s no putting it back together. And once these ecosystems are gone, they are gone forever.
Click here to sign the petition: Stop Trump's Attempt to Mine the Ocean Floor
This is not a drill. This is a warning.
Right now, the far-right is attacking our freedoms, our democracy, and our future. But here’s the truth: we are not powerless. This is our moment to rise—for an America where "liberty and justice for all" means all, not just the wealthy and well-connected.
Huge thanks to everyone who had my back and flagged errors on the MAY DAY map/data — it’s now fixed! 🙌
I’m still learning the ropes when it comes to pulling data and building maps (this is literally day 3!), so I truly appreciate your patience and support as I figure it all out.
✨ Here's how you can take action today:
🔴 Join the May 1 National Day of Action
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With fierce resolve and people power,
Laurie Woodward Garcia
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We can't find your morning talks! Where are you Laurie? We're missing you!