Key points
- The Marine Minerals Administration released a Proposed Leasing Notice for a potential American Samoa Outer Continental Shelf mineral lease sale.
- Acting MMA Director Matt Giacona said the notice supports building a secure domestic critical minerals supply chain amid competition with China.
- Stipulations 10, 11 and 13 require the eventual lessee to prioritize hiring American Samoans, use local businesses and utilize the Port of Pago Pago.
- A Notice of Availability was set to publish in the Federal Register on July 17, 2026, though issuance does not guarantee a lease sale will be held.
The Marine Minerals Administration today announced the availability of a Proposed Leasing Notice for a proposed American Samoa Outer Continental Shelf Mineral Lease Sale. The notice outlines the proposed terms and conditions for the sale and advances the leasing process to support responsible access to the critical minerals needed to strengthen U.S. supply chains, enhance energy readiness and sustain the technologies that power the nation’s modern economy.
“Critical minerals have become a strategic asset in global competition, and China’s dominance in the supply of many of these materials creates unacceptable risks for America’s energy, defense and manufacturing sectors,” said Acting MMA Director Matt Giacona. “This Proposed Leasing Notice provides information on proposed sale terms and conditions so industry and other interested parties can engage with greater certainty while also requiring that the lessee makes every reasonable effort to hire American Samoans, use businesses in American Samoa for the work, and make use of the Port of Pago Pago. Advancing this notice is an important step toward building a secure domestic critical minerals supply chain, strengthening U.S. economic and national security, and ensuring America can compete and win in the 21st century.”
The notice, its supporting materials and the environmental analysis are now available at [www.boem.gov/american-samoa](/marine-minerals/potential-american-samoa-offshore-minerals-lease-sale). A Notice of Availability for the Proposed Leasing Notice will be published in the Federal Register July 17, 2026. Issuance of the notice does not guarantee that a lease sale will be held, nor does it guarantee that any exploration or collection activities will occur should MMA move forward with a sale.
The proposed leasing notice outlines the terms and conditions for the potential sale, including blocks under consideration, information to lessees, and proposed lease stipulations. Once the notice of availability is published, MMA can move forward with the remaining pre-sale requirements, including publishing a final Leasing Notice in the Federal Register at least 30 days prior to the sale date, should MMA decide to hold a sale. Stipulations 10, 11, and 13 make specific reference to the lessee hiring and using local American Samoan businesses, while also using the Port of Pago Pago. In addition, MMA has completed an Environmental Assessment analyzing the potential impacts of issuing two commercial leases in the federal waters off American Samoa.
In addition, MMA today announced the publication of 16 new American Samoa Official Protraction Diagrams, which are submerged land plats that shows the cadastral subdivisions of the Outer Continental Shelf and legally define all leasing areas. The standard official protraction diagram uses the Universal Transverse Mercator projection, measured in meters, and features a grid that is roughly 1 degree of latitude by 2 degrees of longitude for latitudes between 0 and 48 degrees.
The Index image below shows the published official protraction diagrams with the protraction approval date.
The Offshore Marine Cadastre Data Collection will be updated to include data covering these 16 published Protractions. The OMC Data Collection and the OPD PDFs will be available through the Offshore Marine Cadastre Navigator application.
Finally, the Marine Mineral Lease Form (form BOEM-2004), which provides the standard language included in the official contract that legally outlines OCS mineral lease terms and governs exploration, testing, and extraction activities for marine minerals, is available at [https://www.boem.gov/about-boem/procurement-business-opportunities/boem-ocs-operation-forms](/about-boem/procurement-business-opportunities/boem-ocs-operation-forms).
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As of July 10, 2026, the Department of the Interior has reunified the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement into the Marine Minerals Administration, which will oversee the responsible development of the nation’s offshore energy and marine mineral resources with an integrated focus on safety, environmental protection and efficient oversight. For more information, visit https://www.boem.gov/mma-reunification.
