§1402 International Objectives

Summary

The United States applies its authority to U.S. citizens and vessels, and to foreign people and ships that are under its control, when they use the high seas to explore for and commercially take hard minerals from the deep seabed, following international law principles the United States accepts. This does not mean the United States claims ownership, sovereignty, or exclusive rights over any deep seabed areas or resources. The Secretary of State must try to negotiate a Law of the Sea Treaty that guarantees fair, nondiscriminatory access to deep seabed hard minerals for all nations, calls those resources the common heritage of humanity, and requires environmental protections at least as strict as those in this chapter. Until such a treaty exists, the Secretary should promote international measures to protect the environment from harm by exploration or recovery done by people not covered by this chapter.