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Mining companies may soon bypass UN rules and mine the deep sea

Phys · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 936 words · By Cara B G James
Environmental Regulation International law and sovereignty Corporate accountability
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The article discusses a Canadian mining company's attempt to use a U.S. executive order to bypass UN regulations for deep-sea mining. It explores the potential legal ramifications for Canada as a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and notes the Canadian government's previous support for a moratorium on such activities.

Propaganda risk 20%
Claims checked 12
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left17%
Center66%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Mining companies may soon bypass UN rules and mine the deep sea Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor A Canadian deep-sea mining company may become the first to commercially mine the international seabed under a controversial U.S.

Why it matters

executive order that bypasses United Nations regulations.

Common ground

A recent legal analysis suggests that this could place Canada in violation of international law.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

The article discusses a Canadian mining company's attempt to use a U.S. executive order to bypass UN regulations for deep-sea mining. It explores the potential legal ramifications for Canada as a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and notes the Canadian government's previous support for a moratorium on such activities.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-06-companies-bypass-deep-sea.html

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 3
info Single Source 3
schedule Pending 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule
Claim 1: “upcoming ISA assembly meeting scheduled in July 2026”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 2: “TMC expects will lead to a permit to mine the seabed by the first quarter of 2027.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results for metal supply companies in Phoenix and other unrelated mining companies. There is no mention of TMC's 2027 permit expectations.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd is an integrated titanium dioxide manufacturing public sector undertaking in Kollam, Kerala, India. Its operations comprise mining, mineral separation, synthetic rutile …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_Minerals_and_Metals
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (formerly Sandstorm Resources) is a Canadian company that provides funding to mining companies in exchange for royalties, principally in the form of net smelter returns and streams…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandstorm_Gold
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sokolov is a Russian jewelry company with production facilities in Kostroma, Krasnoye-na-Volge and Privolzhsk, and over 400 stores in Russia and abroad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokolov_(company)
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 3: “TMC U.S. has only existed by that name since January 2025”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
check_circle
Claim 4: “The United States never ratified the treaty [UNCLOS].”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources, including a cross-reference and web search results, explicitly state that the United States has not ratified UNCLOS.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Nations comprise 193 sovereign states and the world's largest intergovernmental organization. All members have equal representation in the United Nations General Assembly. The Charter of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_the_United_Na…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is the official United Nations Association of the United States, a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting pol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Association_of_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
+ 4 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 5: “In April 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to fast-track mining permits for seabed minerals in areas beyond U.S. national jurisdiction.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April 2025 to fast-track seabed mining permits in areas beyond U.S. jurisdiction.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump assumed office as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, 2025. The president has the legal authority to nominate members of his cabinet to the United States Senate for con…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_cabinet_of_Donald_Trump
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The religious views of Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, have been a matter for discussion among observers and the American public. Trump was raised in his Scottish-born …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_and_religion
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 6: “UN member states have been working towards a regulatory framework for commercial mining of deep-sea minerals since 2014, under the guidance of the International Seabed Authority.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source (Inside Climate News) mentions the Mining Code has been under development since 2019, which is close to but does not exactly match the 2014 date. Other sources confirm the ISA's role but not the specific 2014 start date for the framework.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Member States. Contributions Dashboard. Manual of Protocol.International Seabed Authority. 14 - 20 Port Royal Street, Kingston, Jamaica.
https://isa.org.jm/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Currently, the largest area in international waters being explored for commercial deep sea mining is the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, located in the central Pacific Ocean. The vast area sits between Hawai…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/559710/trump-s-push-on-de…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — WILSON: The Mining Code has been under development since 2019. Basically, it is a series of regulations that would allow the International Seabed Authority to regulate the activity of deep sea mining.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17072025/deep-sea-mining-…
info
Claim 7: “as of June 2026, the regulations remain unfinished.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence only contains general definitions of the month of June and Juneteenth; it contains no information regarding the status of ISA regulations in June 2026.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — June is the sixth month in the Gregorian calendar and has 30 days. It is the first month of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere and astronomical winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/months/june.html
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars —the latter the most widely used calendar in the world. [1][2] Containing 30 days, June succeeds May and precedes July.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/June
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — By June 1865, almost all of the enslaved population had been freed by the victorious Union Army or by state abolition laws. When the national abolition amendment was ratified in December, the remainin…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
check_circle
Claim 8: “Around 90% of UN member states have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that UNCLOS has 168 parties (ratified), and with 193 UN member states, this represents approximately 87-90% of member states.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the explora…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusive_economic_zone
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — High seas fisheries management refers to the governance and regulation of fishing activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction, often referred to as the 'high seas'.1 The 1982 United Nations Conve…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_seas_fisheries_management
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The International Seabed Authority (ISA; French: Autorité internationale des fonds marins) is a Kingston, Jamaica-based intergovernmental body of 171 Member States plus the European Union. It was esta…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Seabed_Authority
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 9: “The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced that an application made by Vancouver-based The Metals Company (via their U.S. subsidiary, TMC U.S.) is fully compliant with NOAA regulations.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While evidence confirms NOAA's role and the existence of the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act, no specific evidence was found in the provided results confirming a recent announcement regarding TMC U.S.'s application compliance.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA) is the primary federal law regulating deep sea mineral activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) until the United States ratifies an i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Seabed_Hard_Mineral_Resou…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Following the second inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, and the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on January 20, 2025, several major changes occur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOAA_in_the_second_Trump_admin…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollar
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 10: “They instead cite the U.S. Deep Seabed Hard Minerals Resources Act, a little-used legislative pathway through which some exploration permits were handed out in the early 1980s”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
info
Claim 11: “TMC U.S. applied for a first commercial recovery permit to mine approximately 25,000 square kilometers of seabed in the Pacific Ocean. This application was later amended to 65,000 square kilometers”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results (Yandex Maps, YouTube video about a car, AI detector). No information regarding TMC's specific application area was found.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Yandex Maps will help you find your destination even if you don't have the exact address — get a route for taking public transport, driving, or walking.
https://yandex.com/maps/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — An error occurred while retrieving sharing information. Please try again later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmh5SL7qQ-I
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — AI Content Detector and ChatGPT Detector, simple way with High Accuracy. AI Checker & AI Detector Free for AI GPT Plagiarism by ZeroGPT.
https://www.zerogpt.com/
schedule
Claim 12: “In 2023, the Canadian government announced its support for a moratorium on commercial seabed mining in international waters.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.