Key points
- BOEM extended the public comment period on its Request for Information and Interest for seabed critical minerals leasing offshore the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- The RFI was published in the Federal Register on November 12, 2025, opening a 30-day comment period.
- The deadline moved to 11:59 p.m. ET on January 12, 2026, at the request of the Governors of the CNMI and Guam.
On Nov. 10, 2025, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced its intent to publish a Request for Information and Interest for commercial leasing for Outer Continental Shelf seabed critical minerals offshore the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
The RFI published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, initiating a 30-day public comment period. BOEM is extending the comment period until 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 12, 2026, in response to a request from the Governors of the CNMI and Guam.
Detailed information about the RFI, including how to comment, can be found on BOEM’s website.
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.
