I’m posting Sunday’s 60 Minutes segment that focused on deep sea mining and the failure of the US to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Supplementary comments:
- Most Federal employees involved with ocean energy policy, past and present, have supported US government ratification of UNCLOS.
- The offshore industry has long supported UNCLOS. Industry trade associations, including API, IADC, and NOIA, are on the record as favoring ratification.
- While concerns about UN management of deep sea mining access are understandable, some coordinated administrative structure is needed.
- The Metals Company and other companies pursuing deep sea mining opportunities clearly disagree with the assertion that ocean floor mineral harvesting is not economically viable.
- While it’s too soon to draw firm conclusions, there are reasons to believe that deep sea mining is environmentally preferable to onshore mining.