Murkowski flagged Alaska parallels at a Senate deep-sea mining hearing

Sen. Lisa Murkowski drew a direct parallel between Pacific territorial governors' deep-sea mining concerns and Alaska's situation at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Wednesday, asking what meaningful consultation should look like and noting that Alaska faces similar uncertainties with regulations not yet in place and "concerns already surfacing in northern waters."

The hearing's main witnesses were Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero of Guam and Gov. Pulaali'i Nikolao Pula of American Samoa, who argued the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has advanced leasing interest in Pacific territorial waters without meaningful consultation. BOEM issued a request for information and interest for mining leases in waters surrounding U.S. Pacific territories, then extended the comment period after territorial leaders objected. The Pacific campaign has drawn more than 60,000 public comments and petition signatures. "All three of us stand united in our stance, which is to pause any deep-sea mining activities until we gather more scientific evidence and data about the consequences and effects," Leon Guerrero said. Henry Hofschneider, chief of staff to the CNMI governor, confirmed at the hearing that the CNMI and Guam governors have written to Committee Chairman Mike Lee asking him to introduce legislation imposing a moratorium.

The broader fight is over who controls seabed-resource decisions: territorial governments say they lose meaningful decision-making power if leasing advances without genuine consultation, and the debate pits critical-mineral demand against protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems. Murkowski asked both governors directly what meaningful consultation with territorial governments would look like before the federal government advances any future leasing decisions.

Why this matters for Alaska

BOEM regulates Alaska's offshore federal waters, including the Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Cook Inlet, and Norton Basin. Murkowski said Alaska is similarly uncertain about how offshore critical-mineral development would work, that regulations are not yet in place, and that the issue has raised concerns in northern waters. She did not establish active Alaska deep-sea mining leasing decisions at this hearing. Each offshore decision in Alaska sits on top of a consultation framework, including government-to-government tribal consultation under Executive Order 13175, subsistence impact analysis under Section 810 of ANILCA, and NEPA environmental review, that Alaska Native organizations including the North Slope Borough, the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, and the Alaska Federation of Natives have argued for years is procedural rather than substantive, meeting legal requirements without giving tribal governments meaningful influence over actual leasing decisions.

Both sides

The State of Alaska, across administrations of both parties, has generally supported expanded offshore resource development, citing state revenue, energy security, and federal responsibility to develop OCS resources. Conservation groups and some Alaska Native organizations argue current consultation is insufficient and that environmental and subsistence risks in northern waters warrant either no leasing or tighter restrictions.

The hearing was a business meeting held June 17, 2026, also scheduled to consider S.1547, a bill to reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.