Key points
- Eco Minerals submitted a consolidated application to NOAA for an exploration license and commercial recovery permit under the agency’s new streamlined review process.
- The application covers approximately 148,000 square kilometers of polymetallic nodule prospects across the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and the Western Pacific near Guam.
- The filing builds on Eco Minerals’ earlier exploration license application, which NOAA has already deemed in full compliance, preserving the company’s priority of right.
- CEO Tony Romeo said the filing aligns with Executive Order 14285, “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources.”
Filing Builds on Company’s Previously Established Full-Compliance Status with NOAA; Covers Approximately 148,000 Square Kilometers Across the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and Western Pacific Near Guam
MT. PLEASANT, SC / ACCESS Newswire / July 7, 2026 /
Eco Minerals, Inc. (“Eco Minerals” or the “Company”), an American company advancing U.S. critical minerals independence through the responsible exploration and development of subsea mineral resources, has submitted a consolidated application to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“
NOAA“) for an exploration license and commercial recovery permit. The consolidated application builds upon Eco Mineral’s earlier exploration license application, which NOAA has granted full compliance. That application, which Eco Minerals has received priority of right, covers approximately 148,000 square kilometers of prospective areas for polymetallic nodules spanning the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (“CCZ”) and the Western Pacific near Guam.
The filing was submitted under NOAA’s new consolidated application and review process, an updated regulatory framework designed to streamline the path from exploration to commercial permitting. Eco Minerals is among the early companies to file under this process, which aligns with Executive Order 14285, “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources,” and reflects the Company’s readiness to advance its program under U.S. regulatory oversight.
Management Commentary
Tony Romeo, CEO of Eco Minerals, commented, “We’re proud to be among the early companies to submit a consolidated application under NOAA’s new process. Eco Minerals’ mission is to develop deep-sea critical mineral resources responsibly, building the technology, regulatory standing, and operational capability to supply the minerals the world needs. Having established filing priority with NOAA across a large polymetallic nodule application area, and subject to NOAA’s ongoing review, we believe we are well-positioned to advance through the NOAA review process. Polymetallic nodules offer a potential supplemental source of the nickel, cobalt, copper, and other metals that underpin U.S. energy, defense, and advanced manufacturing.”
Application Details
Eco Minerals’ exploration areas are located in two prospective polymetallic nodule regions, where third-party literature has reported occurrences of nickel, cobalt, copper, and other metals relevant to electric vehicle batteries, defense systems, and advanced manufacturing across the U.S. economy.
The Company’s NOAA exploration license application, originally filed in August 2025 and subsequently amended three times, was determined by NOAA to be in substantial compliance in December 2025 and in full compliance in March 2026, establishing and reconfirming the Company’s filing priority, and Eco Minerals has completed pre-FEED (pre-front-end engineering and design) and FEED (front-end engineering and design) evaluation work for its planned nodule collection system. Together, these milestones reflect a phased, disciplined approach that has culminated in this consolidated filing.
NOAA’s updated framework under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980 (“DSHMRA”) consolidates the exploration license and commercial recovery permit into a single application and review process. NOAA’s determinations regarding Eco Minerals’ exploration license application are procedural only and relate to completeness, filing priority and processing status; they do not constitute approval of, or guarantee issuance of, an exploration license, commercial recovery permit or other authorization, and NOAA’s review of the application remains pending.
About Eco Minerals, Inc.
Eco Minerals, Inc. (formerly Deep Sea Rare Minerals, Inc.) is an American company advancing U.S. critical minerals independence through the responsible exploration and development of subsea mineral resources. The Company has established NOAA filing priority with respect to approximately 148,087 square kilometers in the CCZ and Western Pacific near Guam – areas containing polymetallic nodules with nickel, cobalt, and other metals relevant to U.S. energy security, defense, and advanced manufacturing. On March 26, 2026, NOAA notified Eco Minerals that its exploration license application was in full compliance with applicable submission requirements; that determination is procedural only and does not constitute approval of the application or guarantee issuance of any license or permit. Eco Minerals has completed Pre-FEED and FEED-stage evaluation work for its proposed nodule collection system, which remains preliminary and does not establish a final system design, technical feasibility, economic viability or commercial readiness.
