Congressman Applauds Signing of Guam Seabed Mining Ban

(Washington D.C.) - Congressman James C. Moylan applauds the passage of Sen. Therese Terlaje's Bill 253-38 (COR) "relative to prohibiting and deterring seabed mining in the waters of Guam and the surrounding sea."

According to Sen. Terlaje's measure, the Port Authority of Guam "may delay or deny approval for port entry or departure for any vessel for which the agency has received notice from a federal agency or other agency that the vessel or its crew has engaged in activity that has violated any federal, state or county law or rule pertaining to environmental protection, maritime transportation, trafficking of illegal contraband, or the collection or extraction of undersea minerals."

"I commend Governor Leon Guerrero for signing this important measure into law, Senator Terlaje for her leadership on the legislation, and the Guam Legislature for advancing a unified effort to protect our marine environment,"Moylan said.

"By restricting seabed mining and equipping the Port Authority of Guam with the tools to deter environmental violators, we are sending a clear message: Guam's marine ecosystems are not for sale, and we will defend our resources from the local shores all the way to the halls of Congress," he added.

Congressman Moylan has consistently supported local unified opposition to seabed mining in and around Guam waters. He cosigned a letter earlier this year with four other top local government leaders that opposed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)'s request for Information and Interest for "Commercial Leasing of Outer Continental Shelf Minerals Offshore the CNMI."

At a House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources hearing in January of this year, Congressman Moylan made it clear that "if our waters are going to be discussed then our voices must be heard. Not as an afterthought, but as a requirement."

The Congressman is also a co-sponsor of legislation by Hawaii Rep. Ed Case: H.R. 663, "To oppose permitting of deep seabed mining and exploration for deep seabed mining," and H.R. 664, "the American Seabed Protection Act."

The Case Bills, introduced last year, have been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the House Committee on Natural Resources, respectively.

Attached are copies of letters Congressman Moylan has signed onto in opposition to deep seabed mining, continuing efforts to elevate and reinforce the voices of the people of Guam on this issue.

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