Right to Democracy (RtD), in partnership with Friends of the Mariana Trench, Micronesia Climate Change Alliance, and the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, has launched a new petition opposing the imposition of deep seabed mining across U.S. territories. The petition responds to a recent federal Request for Information (RFI) and calls for an immediate halt to unilateral deep seabed mining proposals that threaten island ecosystems, cultures, and self-determination.

Sign the petition here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQ6l8HOZTJTXw5qtHPZaE6LoQtXeXfoqZeI9eeC-SQSwCH8A/viewform

 

The petition builds on growing opposition from Indigenous leaders and territorial communities, particularly in American Samoa and the Mariana Islands, where federal agencies have advanced extractive proposals without meaningful community consent.

“A logo i tai, ua logo i uta — what is felt in the ocean is felt on the land,” said Jaiyah Saelua of American Samoa. “For Pacific peoples, even the smallest disruption to the ocean can have enormous impacts on our lives, culture, and survival.”

“The ocean is life for Pacific islanders — an ancestor and part of who we are,” said Sheila Babauta, a Northern Mariana Islands leader, RtD cross-territorial coalition member, and America the Beautiful for All Coalition member. “Indigenous peoples must be the decision-makers when it comes to protecting our ocean and our future.”

Leaders from across the territories emphasized that deep seabed mining is not just an environmental issue, but a democratic one.

“Territories know too well the false promises of extractive industries,” said Imani Daniel of the U.S. Virgin Islands. “They leave behind lasting environmental damage and health crises, while our communities bear the costs.”

“This issue reflects the real, everyday consequences of the undemocratic colonial framework governing the territories,” said Nayda Bobonis Cabrera of Puerto Rico, a Right to Democracy leader. “At its core, this is about denying communities power over decisions that directly affect their lives.”

“This petition challenges a long history of extractive exploitation imposed without consent,” said Adi Martínez-Román, co-director of Right to Democracy. “Pacific and Caribbean communities have carried these burdens for generations.”

“Thirty percent of all U.S. ocean waters are in the territories,” added Angelo Villagomez, ocean co-lead for the America the Beautiful for All Coalition. “Territorial communities must have a decisive role in what happens in their waters.”

  

RtD and its partners invite residents of the territories, the diaspora, and allies worldwide to sign the petition, review the shared resource document, and take additional action — including submitting public comments, sharing information, and amplifying territorial voices on social media.

Join us in standing for ocean justice, democracy, and self-determination in U.S. territories.

Sign the petition here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQ6l8HOZTJTXw5qtHPZaE6LoQtXeXfoqZeI9eeC-SQSwCH8A/viewform

 

NEWS COVERAGE

 

TESTIMONIALS

Modesta - Puerto Rico

https://assets.nationbuilder.com/wethepeopleproject/pages/1824/attachments/original/1754926199/Modesta.mp4?1754926199

 

Alejandro - Puerto Rico

https://assets.nationbuilder.com/wethepeopleproject/pages/1824/attachments/original/1754926195/Alejandro.mp4?1754926195

 

Further Testimonials