Seabed Mining Officially Banned in All Hawaiian Waters

In a bit of positive environmental news, Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green signed a new bill into law yesterday, officially banning seabed mining in all Hawaiian waters. The move is meant to protect the state’s territorial waters, home to humpback whales, monk seals, manta rays, and economically important tuna fisheries, just to name a few.

What is seabed mining? It's basically a way recover minerals from the bottom of the ocean. While it's been advocated as a lower impact alternative to land-based mining (which is objectively destructive), it poses an ecological risk to the marine ecosystem, thus why this new law is so important. Studies have found seabed mining creates large sediment plumes and increased levels of toxins, at the very least.

According to the presser , "The Hawai‘i Seabed Mining Prevention Act ( SB2575 ), introduced by Senator Chris Lee, prohibits the mining, extraction and removal of minerals from the seabed in all state marine waters and prevents the issuance of permits associated with seabed mining activities."

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"The waters around Hawai‘i are home to some of the most endangered ecosystems on earth, with some of the oldest living organisms such as corals that are thousands of years old," adds Senator Chris Lee, who first introduced the bill. "But stopping the irreversible unintended consequences isn’t only about protecting the endangered habitats, it's also about ensuring the sustainability of fishing, respecting cultural rights, and preventing harm to tourism and our economy, which is inextricably linked to the health of our environment."

The presser continues: "The move sees Hawai‘i join US Pacific states that have enacted similar state-level legislation to protect vulnerable sea life and ecosystems, safeguard the fishing and tourism industry and protect waters important to many Pacific Island groups. Together, they protect a sweep of ocean covering an area of approximately 10,000 square miles."

Unfortunately seabed mining is also popular offshore of countries like Africa and Indonesia. Hopefully, this bill inspires them to consider following suit.

Related: Aussie Surfers Are Fighting This Mining Project and You Should Too