特朗普政府正式推进决定，租赁美属萨摩亚海岸外的海域用于深海采矿。该决定周一宣布，将代表美国政府首次提供离岸采矿租赁。
The Trump administration is officially moving ahead with a decision to lease ocean tracts off the coast of American Samoa for deep sea mining. The decision, announced Monday, would represent the first time the U.S. government has offered up offshore mining leases.
大规模深海采矿此前从未进行过，但海底可能蕴含贵重矿物，政府正将近3200万英亩海域开放给公司竞标，以期提取这些矿物。
Large-scale deep sea mining has never been done before, but the seafloor could contain valuable minerals, and the administration is making nearly 32 million acres available for companies to bid on in the hopes of extracting them.
特朗普政府一直致力于扩大陆上和海洋采矿，去年总统签署了一项行政命令以启动深海采矿进程。
The Trump administration has sought to expand mining both onshore and in the ocean, with the presidentg an executive order last year to jump-start the deep sea mining process.
“关键矿物不仅是商品，更是全球竞争中的重要战略资产，对实现能源效率目标、加强国家防御和保障国内供应链至关重要，”海洋矿产管理局代理局长迈克·奥尔森在书面声明中表示。租赁售卖将于11月19日举行。
“Critical minerals are no longer just commodities; they are a vital strategic asset in global competition, essential for reaching our energy efficiency goals, strengthening our national defense, and securing domestic supply chains,” said acting Marine Minerals Administration Director Mike Olsen in a written statement. The lease sale will be held on Nov. 19.
中标公司将获授权进行诸如测绘等初步活动，但不会自动获得开始采矿的许可。环保倡导者批评此举可能造成破坏。
Companies that win bids would be authorized to conduct preliminary activities like mapping, but would not automatically be allowed to start mining. Environmental advocates criticized the move as potentially destructive.
“这些租赁售卖将打开深海开发的闸门，”奥塞纳防御运动经理朱莉娅·辛格在书面声明中表示。
“These lease sales will open the floodgates to the exploitation of our deep seas,” said Oceana Defense Campaign Manager Julia Singer in a written statement.
“数千名科学家、地方领导人和社区成员已警告深海采矿的危害，但特朗普政府仍在忽视对该提案的广泛反对。美国政府应捍卫深海，而非加速其毁灭，”辛格补充道。美属萨摩亚是由南太平洋洋岛屿组成的美国领土。
“Thousands of scientists, local leaders, and community members have warned of the danger that deep-sea mining poses, yet the Trump administration is continuing to ignore widespread opposition to this proposal. The U.S. government should defend the deep, not fast-track its destruction,” Singer added. American Samoa is a U.S. territory made up of islands in the South Pacific Ocean.