Deep sea mining is one method manufacturers are looking at to source raw materials for burgeoning clean energy industries.
SANTA CRUZ — A bill introduced Tuesday by Assemblywoman Luz Rivas could better protect California’s coastline from deep sea mining – one method manufacturers are looking at to source raw materials for burgeoning clean energy industries.
Manufacturers say they’ll desperately need such materials to build batteries and chips for electronics and electric vehicles into the future. But scientists and ocean advocates argue deep sea mining is too experimental and the risks too grave for rare and protected species that make a home in the Pacific, already under threat due to climate change.could proactively prohibit mining from taking place in California waters that aren’t currently protected – some 2,500 square miles.
Off of California’s North Coast lie gold and titanium deposits, which could be targeted to manufacture EV batteries and electronic parts. In Southern California, phosphorus could be dredged up from the seafloor, proponents of the bill said. Oregon and Washington have already established laws that prohibit ocean mining.
Seabed mining, argued Deep Sea Conservation Coalition cofounder Matthew Gianni, could put further stress on California fisheries, an industry that’s struggled with increased regulations and impacts from climate change.
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