Guam legislature advances bill to bar use of ports and waters for seabed-mining support operations

Sen. Tailay introduced Bill 253-38 to add a new section to Chapter 47, Title 10, Guam Code Annotated, prohibiting the use of Guam ports, harbors, anchorages and territorial waters as staging, supply or logistics bases for any vessel engaged or contracted to engage in seabed mining in adjacent federal or international waters unless authorized by both Guam and the relevant federal authority after full consultation. The sponsor said the text was updated after public hearing recommendations from agencies including the Department of Agriculture and the University of Guam and included provisions empowering the Port Authority and the Department of Agriculture to enforce compliance.

Floor supporters described wide community opposition and cited scientific testimony that seabed mining poses “irreversible” and long-lasting harm to deep-sea ecosystems, fisheries and cultural lifeways. Several senators cited the scale of interest shown by federal notices and public comments (sponsors referred to hundreds of thousands of public comments for the broader region) and described the local economic and cultural risks if seabed-mining operations drew on Guam infrastructure.

The bill as amended requires prior written notification and Department-of-Agriculture review for any listed exceptions, authorizes the Port Authority to act on credible information, and includes penalties for violations and certification requirements for vessels seeking entry. Sen. Tailay added multiple co-sponsors on the floor and moved the bill to third reading; the motion carried with no recorded objection.