Canadian company seeks U.S. permission to start deep-sea mining as outcry ensues

From bnnbloomberg.ca

An abrupt announcement rattled members of a little-known UN agency based in Jamaica that has protected international deep-sea waters for more than 30 years. The Metals Company in Vancouver, Canada said late Thursday that it is seeking permission from the U.S. government to start deep-sea mining in international waters, potentially bypassing the International Seabed Authority, which has the power to authorize exploitation permits but has yet to do so. “It would be a major breach of international law…if the U.S. were to grant it,” said Duncan Currie, an international and environmental lawyer and legal adviser to ... (full story)