Newly updated U.S. regulations have made it far easier for American companies to obtain the rights to mine on the seafloor. According to an article by Sachi Kitajima Mulkey published in the New York Times on January 22nd, as the U.S. works to reduce its reliance on Chinese batteries, seafloor mining has emerged as a potential catalyst for this desired independence. Companies like The Metals Company promise the U.S. rich deposits of metals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese, but this regulatory change has not been without scrutiny. Created by the United Nations in 1994, the International Seabed Authority has protected much of the Pacific seafloor from such mining activities, as studies show mining subjects local marine ecosystems to damage with recovery times spanning decades. Despite being in the UN, the U.S. is not a member of this group and is thus not required to comply with its regulations, so, despite environmental concerns raised by Democrats, Trump is pressing on the accelerator hard. In April of 2025, Trump signed an executive order that authorized the U.S. to issue permits that allow companies to mine in international waters. The full effect of this order is yet to be seen, as “many contractors supporting the industry are based in one of the 170 countries that have committed to following the international body’s rules” (Mulkey). The Metal Company seems confident in the validity of these permits; however, as they just recently submitted a new application for permits to greatly increase the area of seafloor they are hoping to mine. This will be an interesting industry to keep an eye on, both in the coming year as permits are granted and in years to come, as battery makers in China have already begun straying away from cobalt and nickel, meaning the U.S. is likely to follow.