Title 30 — Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73not60

§1403 Definitions

Title 30 › Chapter 26— DEEP SEABED HARD MINERAL RESOURCES › § 1403

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines important words used for exploring and taking minerals from the deep seabed. It explains what kinds of activities and who counts under the rules. Commercial recovery covers at-sea work to get hard mineral nodules to sell or use for profit, plus any processing at sea and any at-sea disposal of the waste. Continental Shelf means the seabed and subsoil next to a coast or island out past the territorial sea to 200 meters deep or farther where the waters still allow resource use. Controlling interest means having enough legal or financial power over another party (by ownership, board ties, contracts, or similar means) to affect its business choices. Deep seabed means the seabed and the top ten meters of subsoil that lie seaward of and outside any nation’s Continental Shelf and outside any foreign area of resource control the United States recognizes. Exploration is at-sea observation and testing to find and document deposits and to take small samples needed to design and test recovery equipment. Hard mineral resource means seabed nodules that include minerals, with at least one of manganese, nickel, cobalt, or copper. International agreement refers to the comprehensive treaty from the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea about exploring and recovering these minerals. Licensee is a holder of an exploration license; permittee is a holder of a commercial recovery permit. Person means any U.S. citizen, any individual, or any business or organization of any country. Reciprocating state is a foreign country named by the NOAA Administrator under section 1428. Administrator means the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. United States lists the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and any other U.S. commonwealth, territory, or possession. United States citizen means an individual who is a U.S. citizen, a business organized under U.S. law, or any entity (including foreign ones) controlled by such a U.S. person.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §1403

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

For purposes of this chapter, the term—

(1)“commercial recovery” means—

(A)any activity engaged in at sea to recover any hard mineral resource at a substantial rate for the primary purpose of marketing or commercially using such resource to earn a net profit, whether or not such net profit is actually earned;

(B)if such recovered hard mineral resource will be processed at sea, such processing; and

(C)if the waste of such activity to recover any hard mineral resource, or of such processing at sea, will be disposed of at sea, such disposal;

(2)“Continental Shelf” means—

(A)the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas adjacent to the coast, but outside the area of the territorial sea, to a depth of 200 meters or, beyond that limit, to where the depth of the superjacent waters admits of the exploitation of the natural resources of such submarine area; and

(B)the seabed and subsoil of similar submarine areas adjacent to the coast of islands;

(3)“controlling interest”, for purposes of paragraph 14(C) of this section, means a direct or indirect legal or beneficial interest in or influence over another person arising through ownership of capital stock, interlocking directorates or officers, contractual relations, or other similar means, which substantially affect the independent business behavior of such person;

(4)“deep seabed” means the seabed, and the subsoil thereof to a depth of ten meters, lying seaward of and outside—

(A)the Continental Shelf of any nation; and

(B)any area of national resource jurisdiction of any foreign nation, if such area extends beyond the Continental Shelf of such nation and such jurisdiction is recognized by the United States;

(5)“exploration” means—

(A)any at-sea observation and evaluation activity which has, as its objective, the establishment and documentation of—

(i)the nature, shape, concentration, location, and tenor of a hard mineral resource; and

(ii)the environmental, technical, and other appropriate factors which must be taken into account to achieve commercial recovery; and

(B)the taking from the deep seabed of such quantities of any hard mineral resource as are necessary for the design, fabrication, and testing of equipment which is intended to be used in the commercial recovery and processing of such resource;

(6)“hard mineral resource” means any deposit or accretion on, or just below, the surface of the deep seabed of nodules which include one or more minerals, at least one of which contains manganese, nickel, cobalt, or copper;

(7)“international agreement” means a comprehensive agreement concluded through negotiations at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, relating to (among other matters) the exploration for and commercial recovery of hard mineral resources and the establishment of an international regime for the regulation thereof;

(8)“licensee” means the holder of a license issued under subchapter I of this chapter to engage in exploration;

(9)“permittee” means the holder of a permit issued under subchapter I of this chapter to engage in commercial recovery;

(10)“person” means any United States citizen, any individual, and any corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, or other entity organized or existing under the laws of any nation;

(11)“reciprocating state” means any foreign nation designated as such by the Administrator under section 1428 of this title;

(12)“Administrator” means the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;

(13)“United States” means the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and any other Commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States; and

(14)“United States citizen” means—

(A)any individual who is a citizen of the United States;

(B)any corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, or other entity organized or existing under the laws of any of the United States; and

(C)any corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, or other entity (whether organized or existing under the laws of any of the United States or a foreign nation) if the controlling interest in such entity is held by an individual or entity described in subparagraph (A) or (B).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 1403

Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60