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Climate28 outlets ran this5 min read

Earthjustice sues US to block deep-sea mining leases off American Samoa

Lawsuit challenges Trump administration plan to auction 33 million acres of seabed for mineral extraction

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
This photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows polymetallic nodules in a sample from the seafloor that was collected on April 14, 2026, in U.S. waters off American Samoa. (USGS via AP, File)

What this story says

  • Earthjustice filed a federal lawsuit on 18 August 2026 against the US National Marine Fisheries Service and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to block an auction of 33 million acres of seabed off American Samoa for deep-sea mining.
  • The lawsuit argues the government’s plan violates the Endangered Species Act and threatens critical habitats for endangered species, including five sea turtle populations and four whale species.
  • The Trump administration is pushing to expedite mining permits, despite international calls for a moratorium on deep-sea mining due to environmental risks.
  • No right-rated outlet covered the story, while left and centre outlets reported it with varying emphasis on legal, environmental, and cultural impacts.

Who covered it

Left 44%(11)Centre 40%(10)Right 16%(4)

Percentages are shares of the 25 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 3 of the 28 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

85/100

Craft

90/100

Hype

15/100

28 sources · methodology

Missing from the right

Only 4 of the 25 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

Earthjustice, a legal environmental group, filed a federal lawsuit on 18 August 2026 against the US National Marine Fisheries Service and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The lawsuit seeks to block the Trump administration’s plan to auction 33 million acres of seabed off American Samoa for deep-sea mining. The area is rich in minerals such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese, which are used in batteries and electronics.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Fa‘asao Amerika Samoa and the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, argues that the National Marine Fisheries Service’s determination that the leases would not affect critical habitats or endangered species was "arbitrary and capricious". The area includes habitats for five endangered sea turtle populations, four whale species, and threatened coral species. It is located 57 miles from the Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

The Trump administration is seeking to expedite mining permits, despite international calls for a moratorium on deep-sea mining. The International Seabed Authority, a UN body, has authorised exploration licences but has not permitted commercial mining. The US has not ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, leaving regulation to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

What the coverage left out

No right-rated outlet ran the story. None of the digests or reports mentioned the potential economic value of the minerals in the lease area or the administration’s argument that deep-sea mining could reduce US dependence on foreign mineral sources. The Associated Press report included a statement from Matt Giacona of the Marine Minerals Administration, but none of the other reports carried the administration’s case for the leases.

Tags:#DeepSeaMining#AmericanSamoa#EndangeredSpecies#EnvironmentalLawsuit#TrumpAdministration#USCommerceDepartment

Coverage settled. We checked this 20 times and stopped on 24 Aug 2026, 03:15. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

11 rated outlets

  • The six left-rated digests and reports led on the lawsuit’s legal and environmental arguments. The Associated Press and Washington Top News, whose full reports were published, quoted Earthjustice’s claim that the National Marine Fisheries Service’s determination was "a wholly arbitrary and capricious determination". Both reports included the lawsuit’s assertion that the US had never before opened its waters to deep-sea mining.
  • The left-rated reports highlighted the cultural and ecological stakes. The Associated Press quoted the lawsuit’s statement that "the Samoan people rely upon a healthy ocean ecosystem" for food, shoreline protection, and cultural practices. It also noted the migration of endangered species between American Samoan and Hawaiian waters, including sea turtles referred to as "i‘a sa" or "sacred fish".
  • The Associated Press report included a statement from Nick Katkevich of the Center for Biological Diversity, who called the administration’s plans "disgraceful" and warned that deep-sea mining was "too experimental and dangerous for marine life". It also mentioned a separate proposed lease of 69 million acres near the Northern Mariana Islands, which the report said was "widely condemned by scientists and environmentalists".

Centre

10 rated outlets

  • The three centre-rated digests and reports focused on the scale of the proposed auction and the legal challenge. Washington Top News, whose full report was published, led with the size of the lease area, 33 million acres, and the minerals targeted, including nickel, cobalt, and manganese. It noted the lawsuit’s argument that the US must first ensure mining would not destroy critical habitats.
  • The centre-rated reports included the cultural significance of the area for American Samoa, quoting the lawsuit’s assertion that the ecosystem "has formed the basis of many cultural practices that have existed for over a millennium". Washington Top News also mentioned the ban on harming species considered sacred, such as whales and sharks.
  • The reports carried the Trump administration’s push to expedite permits and the international context, including the International Seabed Authority’s role in regulating deep-sea mining. None of the centre-rated digests or reports quoted environmentalists or scientists opposing the plan.

Right

4 rated outlets

  • The two right-rated outlets that carried the story reported that Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on 29 July 2026 to block the U.S. government’s plan to auction deep-sea mining leases near American Samoa. Both noted the Trump administration had announced the auction the previous month.
  • The Washington Times and The Batesville Daily Guard led on the scale of the auction, describing the areas as "massive sections of water" or "massive tracks of water". Neither digest mentioned the environmental concerns raised by Earthjustice or the specific legal arguments in the lawsuit.
  • Both digests identified Earthjustice as a "legal environmental group" or "nonprofit". Neither included statements from Earthjustice, local officials in American Samoa, or scientific experts on deep-sea mining.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Earthjustice sues US to block deep-sea mining leases off American Samoa?
Of the 25 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 44% are rated left, 40% are rated centre, 16% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 28. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Earthjustice sues US to block deep-sea mining leases off American Samoa left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 25 rated outlets on this story, 44% are rated left, 40% are rated centre, 16% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Earthjustice sues US to block deep-sea mining leases off American Samoa biased?
Earthjustice sues US to block deep-sea mining leases off American Samoa is one event reported by 28 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Earthjustice sues US to block deep-sea mining leases off American Samoa?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Earthjustice sues US to block deep-sea mining leases off American Samoa?
28 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is the lawsuit about?
Earthjustice filed a federal lawsuit on 18 August 2026 to block the US government’s plan to auction 33 million acres of seabed off American Samoa for deep-sea mining. The suit argues the plan violates environmental laws and threatens endangered species, including sea turtles and whales. The Trump administration is seeking to expedite mining permits despite international opposition.
Why is the area off American Samoa being auctioned?
The US government plans to auction 33 million acres of seabed off American Samoa for deep-sea mining to extract minerals such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese. These minerals are used in batteries and electronics. The Trump administration argues the leases are necessary for national security and economic strength, though the plan faces legal and environmental challenges.
Which outlets covered the story and which did not?
Six left-rated outlets and three centre-rated outlets ran the story, including the Associated Press and Washington Top News, which published full reports. No right-rated outlet covered the lawsuit or the proposed auction. The left emphasised legal and environmental risks, while the centre focused on the scale of the lease area and cultural impacts.

Read it at the source

28 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

11
Show 3 more

Centre

10
Show 2 more

Right

4

Not rated

3

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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