Virginia Beach, VA – June 24, 2026 – Lynnhaven River NOW (LRNow) strongly opposes commercial seabed mining in federal waters off Virginia’s coast.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is conducting a request for information and interest (RFI) to seek industry and public input on a proposal to allow commercial seabed mineral mining in waters located off Virginia’s Eastern Shore and north of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay – an area larger than the state of Delaware.
While BOEM describes this RFI as an early step, it is a consequential one. If approved, commercial seabed mining involves allowing private industries to disturb and remove seafloor materials from public waters over a large area and for a long period of time. This is different from routine dredging of offshore sand for coastal resilience, storm recovery, navigation, and beach nourishment, which is carefully managed and is designed to protect our communities. Seabed disruption at this scale can have serious ecological consequences that would impact this region’s commercial and recreational fishing, and the marine life that depends on clean water and healthy habitat.
Additionally, BOEM’s RFI does not seek to answer basic questions about operations, protections and waste management that coastal Virginians deserve to have answered before any leasing process advances.
Coastal communities must have a meaningful voice before any decision is made about commercial seabed mining off Virginia’s coast.
Take Action
LRNow is calling on Virginia’s congressional delegation to act immediately and BOEM to:
- Extend the BOEM public comment period and public meetings in Hampton Roads and on the Eastern Shore;
- Ensure a full release of maps, GIS data, proposed methods, project scale, mining duration, discharge assumptions, and conflict-use analysis;
- Do a full Environmental Impact Statement before any lease sale, prospecting authorization, or commercial seabed mining activity moves forward.
The public can also take action. You can submit a public comment to BOEM by July 23, 2026, and write to your congressperson to demand the above items.
Submit comments to BOEM here: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/BOEM-2026-0100-0001
Find your congressperson here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
Read the RFI here: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/BOEM-2026-0100
