Today, after weeks of increased attention on the controversial proposal to open waters in the Marianas to deep seabed mining, the public comment period has closed. While the Federal Register indicates some 1,539 comments were submitted online, advocacy groups are documenting over 60,000 petitions, letters and comments sent to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that they say are just the beginning. 

The various forms of citizens voicing their opinion against the federal plans for deep sea mining in the Marianas were submitted before the January 12 deadline.  This announced during a webinar hosted by Right to Democracy and the America the Beautiful For All Coalition, which organizers say was to document the public’s opposition to what they call a “wildly unpopular initiative.” 

Angelo Villagomez, senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, said, "I do not trust the Trump Administration to correctly add up the comments, petitions and letters we are going to submit."

The non-profit advocacy groups say civil society organizations from Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and across the nation came together to spearhead the effort. Attorney Neil Weare, the co-director of Right to Democracy, added, "Honestly, in my decades working on issues in U.S. territories, I’ve really never seen this kind of cohesion."

Weare says it’s not a partisan issue, but one that impacts both the environment and self-determination. Micronesia Climate Change Alliance executive director Maria Hernandez reflected on the fast moving proposal that blindsided Guam and the CNMI, saying, "It really is an injustice to our people that it was held especially during the holidays. and we’ve seen this from the military buildup where the comment period would come out and we have 30 days, and it’s during Covid, for example, and these projects continue to move forward no matter what we do."

And Friends of the Mariana Trench chair Sheila Babauta shared, "Our local government is going through austerity measures right now. So we’ve had to really adapt as a local government, as a community, to really address and respond to this RFI that was not expected to anyone on the ground. No elected leader had any idea that this was going to be announced."

Though the comment period is over, Weare says this is just the beginning, noting, "We’re going to work to raise people’s voices in Washington DC over the coming weeks and months. There may be an upcoming legislative hearing on this issue. Partnering with the territorial caucus that has formed is another opportunity in Congress."

Guam lieutenant governor Josh Tenorio, who is running for governor, encourages Guamanians, Northern Mariana Islanders and American Samoans living across the 50 states to contact their voting representative in Congress. "The only way I see us from putting a big opposition and a major roadblock," he said, "is getting Congress to act. And getting congressional legislation to prohibit this very violent and radical activity that’s planned in the waters in all of our islands."

In the meantime, KUAM News reached out to Guam delegate James Moylan for comment on potential congressional action on deep sea mining, but have not heard back as of newstime.