Title 30, Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-102

§1441 Declaration of Congressional Intent

Title 30 › CHAPTER 26 — DEEP SEABED HARD MINERAL RESOURCES › SUBCHAPTER II — TRANSITION TO INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT › § 1441

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Congress wants any international agreement the United States joins to also make sure American citizens get fair, guaranteed access to deep seabed hard minerals and to protect citizens who began exploration or commercial recovery under subchapter I before the agreement takes effect so they can keep operating without new rules that impose significant new economic burdens that would make their operations unworkable. Whether an agreement meets these goals should be judged by the whole agreement, including how any broad powers affect investment security, how an international regulator is set up and makes decisions, whether there are fair and effective ways to settle disputes, and any parts that favor others over U.S. explorers or recoverers. This chapter is temporary until either an agreement from the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea takes effect for the United States, or, if that does not happen, until a multilateral or other treaty about the deep seabed takes effect for the United States.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §1441

Mineral Lands and Mining, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

It is the intent of Congress—

(1)that any international agreement to which the United States becomes a party should, in addition to promoting other national oceans objectives—

(A)provide assured and nondiscriminatory access, under reasonable terms and conditions, to the hard mineral resources of the deep seabed for United States citizens, and

(B)provide security of tenure by recognizing the rights of United States citizens who have undertaken exploration or commercial recovery under subchapter I before such agreement enters into force with respect to the United States to continue their operations under terms, conditions, and restrictions which do not impose significant new economic burdens upon such citizens with respect to such operations with the effect of preventing the continuation of such operations on a viable economic basis;

(2)that the extent to which any such international agreement conforms to the provisions of paragraph (1) should be determined by the totality of the provisions of such agreement, including, but not limited to, the practical implications for the security of investments of any discretionary powers granted to an international regulatory body, the structures and decisionmaking procedures of such body, the availability of impartial and effective procedures for the settlement of disputes, and any features that tend to discriminate against exploration and commercial recovery activities undertaken by United States citizens; and

(3)that this chapter should be transitional pending—

(A)the adoption of an international agreement at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, and the entering into force of such agreement, or portions thereof, with respect to the United States, or

(B)if such adoption is not forthcoming, the negotiation of a multilateral or other treaty concerning the deep seabed, and the entering into force of such treaty with respect to the United States.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 1441

Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102