Comment from Clark-Bernhard, Nils

I'm speaking out strongly against the Exploration License Application for American Deep Sea Minerals. This move to initiate a risky and speculative exploitation is reckless and shortsighted, favoring a minor group's short-term gains over the ocean's long-term health vital for everyone. Deep-sea mining poses a grave threat, causing irreversible damage to ocean ecosystems and impacting those dependent on them. The deep sea is the least understood yet one of the most fragile ecosystems, home to newly discovered species like glowing sharks and armored snails. A test site on the Blake Plateau, for instance, has shown no signs of recovery even after 50 years. NOAA scientists have observed mining impacts from the seafloor to the surface, threatening industries such as fisheries and tourism. The Global Tuna Alliance and Sustainable Seafood Coalition have already raised alarms about potential impacts on the $5.5 billion Pacific tuna industry. There's a global agreement urging caution: 41 countries, over 65 major corporations, 37 financial institutions, and more than 940 marine experts advocate for a moratorium on seabed mining due to its environmental risks and unstable economics. Critically, those who stand to be most affected by seabed mining oppose it. Nearly all U.S. Pacific States and territories—California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, American Samoa, and Guam—have either restricted or banned deep-sea mining. In American Samoa, the government stands united against it.