Donald Trump’s plan for pirate mining

On April 24, President Trump issued another questionable executive order, this one calling for deep-sea mining in both federal and international waters. The former is within his control; the latter would be a violation of international law.

Although the U.S. is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – the 1982 treaty ratified by 169 other nations that regulates maritime activities, including deep-sea mining, on and in the high seas – the U.S. has always abided by it. Until now.

"You know we're sometimes an outlier on things like the Law of the Sea treaty," says Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee. "And what [Trump's] doing with deep-sea mining is just making us even more of a lone ranger, if not a pariah."

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By:  David Helvarg
Source: Los Angeles Times

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