01/22/2026 at 02:00PM
On Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., in room 1334 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, will hold an oversight hearing titled “Deep Dive: Examining the Regulatory and Statutory Barriers to Deep Sea Mining.”
Witnesses:
- Gerard Barron, CEO and Chairman, The Metals Company and The Metals Company USA, Raleigh, NC
- Oliver Gunasekara, CEO and Co-Founder, Impossible Metals, San Jose, CA
- Erik Milito, President, National Ocean Industries Association, Washington, DC
- Dr. Andrew Thaler, Founder & CEO, Blackbeard Biologic: Science and Environmental Advisors, St. Michaels, MD
On April 24, 2025, Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 14285, “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources.” The E.O. calls for the U.S. to immediately “accelerate the responsible development of seabed mineral resources,” invest in deep sea mapping and technology to “quantify the [n]ation’s endowment of seabed minerals,” and “ensure secure supply chains for our defense, infrastructure, and energy sectors” through seabed mining. In Congress, Representative Mike Ezell (R-MS-04) introduced H.R. 4018 to exploit offshore critical mineral resources by expediting permitting, expanding efforts to map seabed resources, and engaging with allies on scientific collaboration and commercial development.