**Trump's Seabed Mining Initiative Sparks Fierce Congressional Debate**

**President Trump's recent executive order to expedite seabed mining has ignited significant debate, with Congress split on the implications for both the environment and industry.**

Less than a week after President Trump authorized an executive order aimed at facilitating seabed mining, the first permit application was submitted by the Metals Company—a leading advocate for the controversial practice. In a heated congressional hearing held on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., the company’s CEO, Gerard Barron, described Trump’s initiative as a “starting gun” to launch the extraction of minerals such as cobalt and nickel from nodules located deep within the Pacific Ocean.

During the proceedings of the natural resources committee, members from both parties clashed over the environmental ramifications of seabed mining. While the Trump administration indicated they would entertain permit applications for mining operations both in U.S. territorial waters and international areas, multiple nations have criticized the U.S. for potentially bypassing international laws against such activities, which are generally governed by the International Seabed Authority.

Notably, no large-scale seabed mining has yet been executed. Representative Jared Huffman from California, the committee’s leading Democrat, condemned the actions of the Metals Company and the Trump administration as reckless, claiming they are pushing forward with seabed mining in an irresponsible manner. He further questioned the viability of mining cobalt and nickel in light of the electric vehicle industry’s shift toward batteries that are not reliant on these metals.