Industrial mining the seabed has long been an idea but has yet to become a reality. For decades, there’s been a de facto ban on commercial seabed mining by the International Seabed Authority, a UN-affiliated organization that has overseen regulations.

Many countries around the world belong to the ISA, but the United States doesn’t, although it has respected its rules. But that’s about to change, because President Trump issued an executive order in late April calling for the U.S. to develop mining within and beyond its waters.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Tom LaTourrette, a senior physical scientist at Rand, about the market and potential impacts of seafloor mining.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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