UN agency that governs international waters mired in grueling debate over deep sea mining
By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Members of a U.N. agency that governs international waters are locked in a fierce debate amid disagreement over whether to allow deep sea mining and set a new deadline for proposed regulations still stuck in draft mode. The Jamaica-based U.N. International Seabed Authority’s two-week conference on the issue dragged on Friday during the last day of meetings. The agency has yet to issue any provisional mining licenses. It missed a July 9 deadline to approve a set of rules to govern such activity. Demand for precious metals found in the deep sea and are used in green technology is surging.
