The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has formally accepted the second exploration license application submitted by The Metals Company (NASDAQ:TMC), a step that authorizes the agency to draft a site-specific Environmental Impact Statement for the area designated USA B. This administrative action begins a regulatory sequence under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), the US statute that frames how American entities can pursue mineral activities on the high seas. The tract in question covers roughly 122,000 square kilometers and, per the company’s Initial Assessment dated August 2026, contains about 1.02 billion tons of polymetallic nodules with concentrations of nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese and rare earth elements.
What the certification means and next regulatory steps
With NOAA’s certification of the USA B dossier, the agency is authorized to prepare an EIS that will examine potential environmental effects, mitigation measures and alternatives. The formal process will begin with a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS and will include public comment opportunities on both the draft environmental analysis and the proposed Terms, Conditions, and Restrictions (TCRs) that would govern any license. Only after completion of the EIS will NOAA render a final decision on whether to issue an exploration license for the USA B area.
Context within the company’s permitting strategy
The move follows NOAA’s earlier determination on April 28, 2026, that The Metals Company’s consolidated application for a neighboring tract labeled USA A met the agency’s completeness standards under the DSHMRA. In early 2026 the company shifted its permitting focus toward the US statutory route, stepping away from stalled talks at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has not yet adopted a finalized global exploitation code. The decision to pursue domestic authorization reflects a strategic pivot to operate under well-established US processes rather than await multilateral rules.
Company position and public statements
Company leadership described the certification as a significant milestone in a transparent, rules-driven review. The Metals Company highlighted exploration as the necessary next phase to evaluate resource potential for the United States, while noting its intention to work through NOAA’s environmental review. The firm has positioned its efforts as consistent with scientific inquiry and regulatory oversight, emphasizing that exploration precedes any commercial extraction decisions.
Data collection, transparency and scientific submissions
To address information gaps and support environmental assessments, the company has supplied long-term datasets to public repositories. In the month prior to the certification notice, it uploaded ten years of biological and geochemical sampling from the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) covering 2013–2026 to DeepData, an open-access archive administered by the ISA. These submissions aim to inform baseline understanding of benthic communities and geochemistry in the proposed exploration area and to help regulators and independent researchers evaluate potential impacts.
Role of exploration in risk assessment
Exploration activities are intended to generate technical and environmental information that feeds into the EIS and license conditions. Such data typically include maps of seafloor habitats, species inventories, and sediment and water chemistry profiles. Regulators use those findings to shape TCRs and determine whether proposed activities can conform to environmental safeguards before any license is granted.
Environmental opposition and scientific concerns
Despite procedural progress, deep-sea mining proposals continue to provoke strong opposition from conservation groups and many marine scientists. Critics warn that deploying industrial collection machinery on abyssal plains could cause long-lasting or irreversible damage to benthic ecosystems, destroying habitats and reducing biodiversity across poorly understood communities. Opponents call for precaution, extensive study and international coordination before any commercial-scale removal of nodules is permitted.
Proponents argue that exploration and careful regulation can inform impact mitigation and that some metals contained in nodules are critical to low-carbon technologies. The debate centers on how to balance resource needs with the protection of deep-ocean life, and NOAA’s EIS process will be a central arena for those competing perspectives.
What to watch next
Observers should expect NOAA to publish its Notice of Intent and open public comment windows on the draft EIS and proposed TCRs. The timeline for completion of the environmental review will determine when a final licensing decision can be made. Meanwhile, additional exploration within the USA B area is likely to produce further datasets that regulators and stakeholders will analyze as the process continues.
As regulatory reviews progress, the interaction among national law, international governance and environmental science will shape the future of seafloor mineral exploration, with consequences for industry strategy and ocean stewardship.