Stop Seabed Mining off the Mid-Atlantic Coast

In his encyclical Laudato si’, Pope Francis reminds us that “the entire material universe speaks of God’s love… Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.” He calls us to protect the oceans as a sacred mystery entrusted to our care.

Right now, a major threat to God’s creation is emerging directly off our shores. The federal government is considering a proposal (BOEM-2026-0100) to allow commercial industrial seabed mining in federal waters off our Mid-Atlantic coast.

This proposal is deeply concerning for several reasons:

  • Massive Scale: The zone covers 1.77 million acres of ocean—an area larger than the entire state of Delaware.
  • Unprecedented Risk: This marks the first time almost anywhere in the world that a commercial lease for seabed mining is being offered. Nearly 45 nations have already declared a formal moratorium due to severe environmental risks.
  • Threat to Marine Life: Industrial dredging threatens vulnerable wildlife—like bottlenose dolphins and endangered sturgeon—and risks local coastal economies for unproven benefits.

By law, the government must open a “Public Comment Period” to listen to citizens before deciding. A public comment is simply your official letter to the decision-makers. The government is legally required to read your letter and address the risks you raise. Your perspective can literally stop this project.

Take 5 Minutes to Submit Your Comment (Deadline: August 22, 2026)

  1. Go directly to the link: Regulations.gov BOEM-2026-0100 Portal.
  2. Copy and paste the template text below into the comment box.
  3. Personalize it! Add one sentence showing how you connect with God’s creation (e.g., As a beachgoer, I want to keep our coastline clean and safe. or As a birdwatcher, destroying the seafloor threatens the wildlife I enjoy.).

By defending the waters that reflect God’s beauty, we live out our sacred calling to care for our common home.

Photo: Courtesy of Zara Watkins, available via Unsplash.

Re: BOEM-2026-0100

Dear Secretary Burgum,

As a resident of the Mid-Atlantic and a person of faith, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposal to allow commercial seabed mining and mineral leasing under docket BOEM-2026-0100.

[INSERT YOUR PERSONAL SENTENCE HERE. Example: As someone who visits our local beaches to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, I want to keep our coastline clean, safe, and protected.]

The proposed zone covers 1.77 million acres of ocean—an area larger than the state of Delaware. Offering a commercial lease for seabed mining on this scale is unprecedented globally and highly unusual. Nearly 45 countries have already enacted strict pauses or moratoria on seabed mining, making the choice to force open the Mid-Atlantic for an unproven, experimental industry an unacceptable risk to our shared ecosystems, marine life, and coastal communities.

I urge the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to reject this proposal due to critical risks including widespread marine habitat disruption, exacerbated coastal erosion from altered nearshore sand transport, and a dangerous lack of scientific consensus regarding the long-term regional impacts of industrial dredging.

We must act as responsible stewards of our marine environment. Exposing our critical offshore ecosystems to seabed mining without a full understanding of the regional consequences is an unacceptable risk.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your City, State]