By Patricia Tummons
Heʻeia Estuary: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking for public comment on a revision of the management plan for the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve.
As described by NOAA, “this draft revised management plan is a minor update of the prior plan and maintains a strong foundation that honors the past by using indigenous resource management practices to support the sustainable co-management of the Heʻeia estuary. Core to the plan is the ahupuaʻa – the Hawaiian conceptualization of community that extends from mountain to oceans; and ʻāina momona – using indigenous approaches to manage resources toward a state of sustainable abundance.”
The draft revised plan includes “updated strategies and goals for the reserve’s education, research, stewardship, and coastal training programs; staffing and organizational needs; and planned facilities and infrastructure development.”
The plan may be viewed online at: https://heeianerr.org/request-for-comments-on-draft-revised-management-plan. Comments should be received by August 21.
Seabed Mining News: One of the most aggressive companies in the race to mine metals from the ocean crust has run into problems. Not – or, at least, not only – because of growing opposition from many sectors to the very idea of seabed mining. But as a result of an even more fundamental problem: money woes. According to a July report in Climate Home News, The Metals Company (TMC) is going broke.
TMC and its partner, Nauru Ocean Resources, have triggered an International Seabed Authority rule that requires the ISA to adopt rules for deep-sea mining by July 2023 in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, stretching between Hawaiʻi and Mexico. Otherwise the ISA will have to give provisional approval to Nauru’s licensing request anyway. With the ISA having failed to adopt such rules for nearly a decade, Nauru’s ultimatum has thrown the agency into some turmoil, with members – who don’t include the United States – struggling to reach agreement in July and August on procedures to govern seabed mining.
But even if it gets the green light, it may not have the funds to pursue mining operations. TMC is suing two parties who did not, TMC says, follow through on promises to invest more than $300 million following the company’s listing on the NASDAQ exchange last year. The company’s share price has fallen from $12 last September to less than $1 as of last month.
As of March 2022, TMC had $69 million in cash, Climate Home News noted, citing a recent SEC filing. “In 2021, the company estimated it needed $7 billion for large-scale production.”
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