White House aides say the initiative could see US operations scoop up more than a billion metric tons of mineral-rich deep-sea nodules, and pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the American economy.
But the move to disrupt ocean floor ecosystems to extract cobalt and other minerals flies in the face of environmental group concerns and the controls set by global regulators at the International Seabed Authority.
Since the 1990s, the group has sought to set ground rules for the burgeoning industry's extraction efforts in international waters.
But the US never ratified the agreements that empowered the ISA's jurisdiction and is not a member of the UN-affiliated body.
Instead, the Trump administration is "relying on an obscure 1980 law that empowers the federal government to issue seabed mining permits in international waters," the New York Times said.
Under the order, the secretary of commerce has 60 days to "expedite the process for reviewing and issuing seabed mineral exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits in areas beyond national jurisdiction."
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