NOAA Publishes Notice of Intent for TMC's USA-B Exploration License EIS
TMC sits 19% above its 52-week low of $3.4.
Summary
NOAA has published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for TMC's USA-B exploration license application, advancing the regulatory process for a seafloor area estimated to contain 1.02 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules.
Key Events · Product Development and Regulatory · TMC
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NOAA Publishes Notice of Intent
NOAA published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in the Federal Register for TMC USA's USA-B exploration license application under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act.
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Application Area and Resource Estimate
The USA-B application area covers approximately 122,000 km² of seafloor and hosts an estimated 1.02 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules with high grades of nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, and rare earth elements.
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Regulatory Milestone Progression
The NOI publication follows NOAA's certification of the USA-B exploration license application on May 26, 2026, and precedes a draft EIS, public comment period, and final license determination.
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Next Steps in EIS Process
NOAA will publish a draft EIS and draft Terms, Conditions and Restrictions for public comment, then finalize the EIS before making a final determination on the exploration license.
Analysis · TMC · Energy & Transportation
NOAA's publication of a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement is a concrete regulatory step forward for TMC's deep-sea mining ambitions. It moves the USA-B exploration license application from certification into the formal NEPA review process, which is a prerequisite for any eventual license issuance. The application area is substantial — roughly 122,000 km² with an estimated 1.02 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules — so this milestone materially de-risks the company's path toward commercial recovery of critical metals. While no license has been granted and the EIS process will take time, the market is likely to view this as positive progress on a key strategic asset.
At the time of this filing, TMC was trading at $4.04 on NASDAQ in the Energy & Transportation sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $1.8B. The 52-week trading range was $3.40 to $11.35. This filing was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10.