Deep-Sea Mining in Alaska: Risks and Rewards

0:00Tony Romeo, a former Air Force pilot turned Deep Sea Explorer, is pushing to mind rare minerals from the ocean floor of Alaska. His company, Deep Sea Rare Minerals, just signaled interest in federal leases there after the Trump administration floated plans to open up those. Waters earlier this year. We're talking nodules packed with metals crucial for tech and green energy, buried miles deep where most of Alaska's seafloor stays unmapped. After this year, federal regulators wrapped the public comment period on April 1st, pulling in over 90,000 responses. Only a few companies like Romeo's backed the idea, alongside spots like Noam City Hall, eyeing jobs and less reliance on foreign metals for national security. But the pushback hit hard from indigenous groups, conservationists, and fishing crews. Trives on the North Slope warned it could wreck marine mammal habitats, key to their food and culture. Over 2,500 posted comments showed most folks against it, fearing damage to fish stocks

1:00and ecosystems in spots like the Gulf of. Alaska and Bering Sea. Romeo got into this after chasing Amelia Earhart's lost plane with his submarine drone, spinning millions over 5,000 square miles before. Switching to minerals. His teens designing low-impact scoopers that rake nodules without heavy machinery, but they're still hunting funding and just mapping for now. Experts say no commercial deep sea mining exists worldwide yet, and Alaska's remoteness jacks of costs. Meanwhile, production here looks years off, if ever, with tech hurdles and opposition mounting. Romeo wants to at least scout what's down there, betting it could spark a new industry. But for now, it's all talk and tests on the horizon. Stay informed with Anchorage News today, AI-powered updates. I'm Corey with The Story.