For years, deep seabed mining (DSM) has been mostly a question of geopolitics. But with President Trump’s executive order, potential lease sales in federal waters, and support from some in Congress, it’s quickly becoming a domestic political issue.

That’s why I was fascinated to see a new study gauging what the public actually thinks about DSM. Researchers from the University of Washington polled a representative sample of more than 1,000 people in the U.S.

Broadly, the public felt pretty “meh.” The mean level of support for DSM was 2.85 on a scale of 1 (not supportive) to 5 (very supportive). But the details are telling.

First, demographics: Men were more supportive of DSM than women. The authors say this fits with past research showing men tend to be more inclined toward techno-fixes to policy problems.

Notably, political affiliation did not matter. Support for DSM was roughly consistent across party lines. That’s a surprise, since Republican political leaders have been far more enthusiastic about DSM than Democratic leaders.

But the big takeaway for me was that support for DSM depended on how the issue was framed. When respondents were told that DSM could reduce U.S. reliance on China for critical minerals, support rose significantly. But when DSM was described either (1) as a way to reduce environmental damage from land-based mining or (2) as a threat to fisheries, support didn’t change.

In other words, the public seems most receptive to the “national security” argument. That’s basically the case the Trump administration is making now. And it’s the message DSM companies themselves have pivoted to, after years of touting DSM as a climate solution first and foremost.

Case-in-point: The Metals Company. Back in 2021, the title slide of the firm’s investor presentation showed an electric car driving through a field of solar panels and wind turbines. Fast forward to this year’s title slide, which pictures only polymetallic nodules, with no mention of renewables.

A couple additional news items:

1. Odyssey Marine Exploration wants to mine mineral-rich sand in federal waters in the Atlantic Ocean. The firm announced today that it submitted an “Unsolicited Request” to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for a mineral lease sale in the region. BOEM is already considering selling mineral leases for polymetallic nodules in federal waters near American Samoa in the Pacific.

2. Remember that Japanese DSM project I’ve been covering? Turns out, President Trump wants in on the action. Following her meeting with Trump last week, Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday she would “consider specific ways to promote cooperation between Japan and the United States” on the project.