What's New?
On Nov. 10, 2025, BOEM announced its intent to publish a Request for Information and Interest, or RFI, for commercial leasing for Outer Continental Shelf seabed critical minerals offshore the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The RFI will publish in the Federal Register on Nov. 12, 2025, initiating a 30-day public comment period.
The area identified in the RFI, referred to as the RFI Area, is located east of the Mariana Trench National Monument, along the eastern edge of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ. The RFI Area encompasses approximately 35,483,044 acres (143,595 km²) with water depths ranging from 3,700 to 25,100 feet (1,130 to 7,650 meters). It includes abyssal plains, seamounts, and guyots.
Documents & Maps
- Federal Register: Commercial Leasing for Outer Continental Shelf Minerals Offshore the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands-Request for Information and Interest
- RFI Area Map
- RFI Area OCS Blocks List
- RFI Area Shapefiles
Why is BOEM Publishing an RFI for the CNMI?
Feedback obtained through the RFI will help inform BOEM’s assessment of industry interest, geologic conditions, potential environmental and cultural impacts, and the multiple uses of the identified area, such as navigation and fishing. This initial step marks the beginning of a comprehensive, multi-step planning process aimed at evaluating opportunities for potential OCS mineral leasing offshore the CNMI.
BOEM's Regulatory Pathway for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Minerals Leasing For American Samoa
Request for Information and Interest
RFI for information and interest published in the Federal Register.
Identification of Areas
Areas to be considered for leasing.
Environmental Analysis
Analysis for the lease sale.
Proposed Leasing Notice
Published in the Federal Register.
Leasing Notice
Published in the Federal Register.
Competitive Lease Sale
BOEM will engage and coordinate with the Government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) regarding the potential for OCS mineral leasing, highlighting the importance of intergovernmental collaboration.
Throughout the leasing process, BOEM will consider available OCS mineral resources and environmental data and information, recommendations from the Government of the CNMI and other federal agencies, as well as other comments received during information-gathering activities before deciding whether to proceed with issuing leasing notices and holding a sale.
Environmental Studies
BOEM funds numerous environmental studies that collect information about the marine environment to support future decisions concerning potential OCS minerals leasing and development. For more information, please visit https://www.boem.gov/environment/environmental-studies-pacific.
Some examples of current BOEM-funded studies related to seabed minerals in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands include:
NA171: In 2025, BOEM partnered with NOAA, USGS, and the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute on an expedition to explore abyssal habitats in the eastern portion of the Guam and CNMI EEZ.
Related Press Releases
- Interior Advances Offshore Mineral Leasing Opportunities in Alaska and the Pacific (September 30, 2025)
Resources
- Discovering Offshore Critical Mineral Resources in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (BOEM’s Pacific critical minerals webpage)
- BOEM Critical Minerals (BOEM’s national critical minerals webpage)
- BOEM Resource Evaluation of Critical and Hard Offshore Mineral Programmatic Reference (RECHOMPR) (October 2023)
Click on the thumbnail below to view prospectus seabed mineral regions in the Pacific through the USGS viewer.
