SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: This sale will be held pursuant to the requirements of and is published pursuant to 43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq. (Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, as amended) and 30 CFR part 581, subpart B—Leasing Procedures. Secretary's Order 3451 established the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA), which replaced BOEM, and provided for a transition period during which existing MMA officials retain operational authority necessary for the uninterrupted accomplishment of its mission. That transition period is ongoing. Accordingly, this notice references both BOEM and MMA but is issued under the authority of the MMA.

Table of Contents

I. Lease Sale Area

II. Statutes and Regulations

III. Lease and Fiscal Terms

IV. Lease Stipulations

V. Information to Lessees

VI. Maps

VII. Bidding Instructions

VIII. The Lease Sale

IX. Bidding Rules

X. Delay of Sale

( printed page 66353)

I. Lease Sale Area

MMA is offering for bid in Lease Sale PACM-1 all available unleased acreage as identified on the map entitled, “American Samoa OCS Mineral Lease Sale Areas Final Leasing Notice (Lease Sale PACM-1).” Two individual lease areas have been identified; OCS-P 0568 is approximately 16,332,256 acres and OCS-P 0569 is approximately 15,170,979 acres. The final list of blocks available for bid is posted on MMA's website at www.boem.gov/​marine-minerals/​american-samoa-activities.

MMA's Official Protraction Diagrams (OPDs) and Supplemental OPDs for the lease areas are available online at www.boem.gov/​pacific-cadastral-data. All blocks are shown on the following OPDs:

Achilles Tang (SC02-03)

Hutchinson Seamount (SD02-03)

Small Toothed Jobfish (SD02-09)

Dusky Frillgoby (SD02-12)

Arrowhead Soapfish (SE02-09)

Flowery Flounder (SE02-12)

Slimy Cuskeel (SD03-01)

Honeycomb Toby (SD03-02)

Sixblotch Hind (SD03-04)

Sculptured Pipefish (SD03-05)

Paletail Chromis (SD03-07)

Mosaic Gulper Shark (SD03-08)

Clown Coris (SD03-10)

Knife Razorfish (SE03-07)

Dusky Sleeper (SE03-10)

Brokenbar Dwarfgoby (SE03-11)

II. Statutes and Regulations

Each lease is issued pursuant to OCSLA, 43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq., as amended, and is subject to OCSLA's implementing regulations in 30 CFR part 581, and other applicable statutes and regulations in existence upon the effective date of the lease, as well as those applicable statutes enacted and regulations promulgated thereafter, except to the extent that the after-enacted statutes and regulations conflict with an express provision of the lease. Each lease is subject to amendments to statutes and regulations, including but not limited to OCSLA, that do not explicitly conflict with an express provision of the lease. The Lessee expressly bears the risk that such new or amended statutes and regulations ( i.e., those that do not conflict with an express provision of the lease) may increase or decrease the Lessee's obligations under the lease.

The lease and fiscal terms, along with MMA's ascending oral auction format, will ensure that the United States receives fair market value (FMV) for each lease area offered. The auction winner will be provisionally awarded the lease (assuming the winner did not violate any rules), and final issuance of the executed lease will take place after the sale date as outlined in the section entitled, “Acceptance, Rejection, or Return of Bids.”

III. Lease and Fiscal Terms

MMA is offering two lease areas for development of all marine minerals or metals found in polymetallic nodules and ferromanganese crust deposits discovered within the leased area. Any lease(s) that are issued will grant the Lessee(s) an opportunity to identify mineral deposits and seek approval to ( printed page 66354) develop these deposit types and minerals, as well as any minerals produced incidental to and in direct association with production from these deposits. All other minerals will be reserved from the lease(s) to the Lessor, including but not limited to oil, gas, sulphur, and source materials for fissionable materials, as required by 30 CFR 581.8.

OCS Lease Form

MMA proposes to use Form BOEM-2004 (April 2026) to convey leases resulting from this sale. This lease form can be viewed on MMA's website at www.boem.gov/​about-boem/​procurement-business-opportunities/​boem-ocs-operation-forms. The lease form will be amended to include specific terms, conditions, and stipulations applicable to the individual lease. The terms, conditions, and stipulations applicable to this sale are described below.

The following section outlines the lease and fiscal terms for Lease Sale PACM-1.

Primary Term

The Primary Term will be 20 years.

Minimum Bonus Bid Amount

The minimum bonus bid amount will be $3,000,000 for each lease area offered.

Rental Rates

Annual rental rates depend on the lease year and the relative percentage of the Initial Lease Area the Lessee continues to hold. The table below shows the applicable rent per acre for each lease year, based on whether the Lessee retains:

• Less than 15%,
• 15% to less than 50%, or
• 50% or more of the Initial Lease Area.

Rental payments will continue until the first lease anniversary date following the commencement of royalty payments on leasehold production (meaning production that occurs under the first approved Mining Plan).

Lease segregation does not change how much of the Initial Lease Area is considered retained. If a lease is subsequently segregated, acreage percentages of Initial Lease Area Retained will be recalculated based on the proportion of each new lease area to the Initial Lease Area. For example, if a lease is segregated into two leases, one of which is 25% of the Initial Lease Area and the other is 75% of the Initial Lease Area, the 25% lease area would need to be relinquished down to <3.75% (15% * 25%) of the Initial Lease Area in order to pay the rental rates in the first column. In order to pay the middle rates, that same 25% lease area would need to be relinquished down to 3.75 to < 12.5%. The 75% lease area would need to be relinquished down to 11.25% (15% * 75%) of the Initial Lease Area to pay the rental rates in the first column.

Minimum Royalty Rate

The minimum royalty rate is locked in based on the lease year in which leasehold production (meaning production that occurs under the first approved Mining Plan) begins as well as the share of the Initial Lease Area held when production begins according to the following schedule:

Royalty Rate

Royalty on Delineation and Testing:

The Lessee must pay to the Lessor a royalty of five percent on all mineral production under any approved Delineation or Testing Plan that is processed to a marketable condition or sold.

Initial Production Royalty Rate:

The Lessee must pay to the Lessor a royalty of two percent on the value of the mineral production, as described below, from the lease during the first five years of production under any approved Mining Plan. The five-year period commences on the first of the month in which minerals are first produced on the lease under an approved Mining Plan.

Subsequent Production Royalty Rate:

Beginning on the first day of the sixth (6th) year of mineral production under an approved Mining Plan and continuing thereafter for the remainder of the lease, the Lessee must pay to the Lessor a royalty of five percent on the value of the mineral production, as described below, from the lease.

Valuation for Royalty Purposes

In accordance with regulations at 30 CFR part 1206, subpart G—Other Solid Minerals, the following terms, conditions, and stipulations will apply for royalty payments on the value of the mineral production from a lease.

Marketable Condition: Marketable condition means mineral production from the lease that is processed in a manner consistent with prevailing practices in the industry as determined by the Director of the Office of Natural Resources Revenue and otherwise in a condition that will be accepted by an arm's length purchaser under a sales contract typical for the commodity. Mineral production from the lease must meet the marketable condition requirement prior to being sold to be considered a bona fide transaction under 30 CFR part 1206, subpart G.

Allowances: A Lessee may claim the specific costs enumerated below as allowable deductions. Except as described below, no other deductions will be allowed. However, under no circumstances may the mineral production from the lease, minus allowances, be valued for royalty purposes less than the monthly average value of the free on board (f.o.b.) bulk sales price realized at the customary point of shipment to market.

Transportation: A deduction will be allowed for the Lessee's costs equal to the difference between the bona fide sale of mineral production from the lease in bulk for that sales month at the customary point of shipment to market and the sale price realized at a remote sales point.

Beneficiation Beyond Marketable Condition: A deduction will be allowed for the Lessee's costs equal to the difference between the bona fide sale of mineral production from the lease in bulk for that sales month at the customary point of shipment to market and the sale price realized for lease material processed to a condition considered beyond marketable condition.

Royalty Relief

No royalty relief will be offered in this sale.

IV. Lease Stipulations

Stipulations applied to leases issued in this sale are contained in the “Lease Stipulations” section of the FLN package and cover the topics enumerated below.

1. Lease Preliminary Activities and Survey Notices

2. Endangered Species Act and Essential Fish Habitat Consultation Requirements

3. Fisheries Communication Plan

4. Protection of Birds

5. Marine Archaeology Requirements for Preliminary Activities

6. Unanticipated Discovery Requirements

7. Research Site Access

8. Preliminary Activities Reporting

9. Confidential Information

10. Community Investment and Economic Development

11. Local Content and Labor Utilization

12. Supply Chain Statement of Goals

13. Port Utilization and Infrastructure Investment

V. Information to Lessees

The Information to Lessees (ITLs) provide detailed information on certain issues pertaining to this lease sale. The full text of the ITLs for this sale is contained in the “Information to Lessees” section of the FLN package and covers the following topics:

1. Navigation Safety

2. Geological and Geophysical Surveys

3. Marine Archaeological Survey Requirements for Delineation, Testing, and Mining Plans

4. Environmental Monitoring

5. Mining Discharge Analysis

6. Data and Metadata Standards

7. Low-Impact Collector Technology Rationale

8. Community Engagement Plan

9. Dock Space

10. Notice of Assignment to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)

11. Domestic Mineral Processing and Supply Chain

12. Engagement

13. Local Emergency Preparedness and Maritime Safety Support

VI. Maps

The American Samoa OCS Mineral Lease Sale Area Map can be viewed on MMA's website at www.boem.gov/​marine-minerals/​american-samoa-activities, including a more detailed map of the lease blocks and aliquots. The sale area is shown on the map entitled, “American Samoa OCS Mineral Lease Sale Areas Final Leasing Notice (Lease Sale PACM-1).”

VII. Bidding Instructions

Bidding instructions and the required format for the items are listed below. Bidders should refer to the subheading entitled, “Acceptance, Rejection, or Return of Bids” under Section IX below, regarding a bidder's failure to comply with the requirements of this FLN, including failure to follow the instructions and format and timely submit the information required in this FLN.

Authorized Individuals and Bidder Authentication

An entity that is eligible to participate in the auction may identify up to five (5) individuals who will be authorized to bid on behalf of the company, including their names, business telephone numbers, and email addresses. Bidders are advised that MMA considers the Bidder's Financial Form (BFF) to be a legally binding obligation on the part of the bidder(s) to comply with all applicable regulations, including, but not limited to, the regulation requiring payment of bid deposit.

Affiliated Entities

On the BFF, eligible bidders must list any other entities with whom they are affiliated. For the purpose of identifying affiliated entities, a bidding entity is any individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership, consortium, or joint venture (when established as a separate entity) that is participating in the same auction. Affiliated entities are not permitted to compete against each other in the auction. Where two or more affiliated entities have qualified to bid in the auction, the affiliated entities must decide prior to the auction which one (if any) will participate in the auction. If two or more affiliated entities attempt to participate in the auction, MMA will disqualify those bidders from the auction.

MMA considers two entities to be affiliated if (a) one entity (or its parent or subsidiary) has or retains a right, title, or interest in the other entity (or its parent or subsidiary), including the ability to control or direct actions with respect to such entity, either directly or indirectly, individually or through any other party; or (b) the entities are both direct or indirect subsidiaries of the same parent company. Entities are also affiliated if ownership or common ownership of more than 50 percent of the voting securities, or instruments of ownership or other forms of ownership, of another person constitutes control (person means any individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership, consortium, or joint venture (when established as a separate entity)). MMA will consider each of the following factors to determine if there is control under the circumstances of a particular case: ( printed page 66356)

• The extent to which there are common officers or directors.
• With respect to the voting securities, or instruments of ownership or other forms of ownership: The percentage of ownership or common ownership, the relative percentage of ownership or common ownership compared to the percentage(s) of ownership by other persons, if a person is the greatest single owner, or if there is an opposing voting bloc of greater ownership.
• Operation of a common lease, plant, pipeline, or other facility.
• The extent of other owners' participation in operations and day-to-day management of a lease, plant, or other facility.
• Other evidence of power to exercise control over or common control with another person.

Bidder's Financial Form

Each qualified bidder must submit a BFF to participate in the auction. A BFF must be received no later than October 29, 2026. Bidders are hereby notified that, on the day of the sale, an authorized representative must recertify the BFF, affirming that all information submitted on the BFF is accurate and remains valid in accordance with the requirements of 30 CFR 581.20. A copy of the form is available at www.boem.gov/​marine-minerals/​critical-minerals/​bidder-financial-formapril-2026. In its BFF, each bidder must designate the email address that it will use to create an account in www.pay.gov. The BFF is required to be executed by an authorized representative listed in the bidder's qualification documents on file with MMA. The BFF must contain the following information:

• Each bidder's MMA qualification number. Bidders participating in this lease sale must be qualified by MMA pursuant to30 CFR 581.4 and 30 CFR 581.20. Bidders seeking to participate in this lease sale who are not qualified by MMA should submit the required qualification documentation as early as possible to ensure there is sufficient time to receive a MMA qualification number. Bidders can submit the required qualification documents to pacific.region@boem.gov.
• A statement acknowledging that the bidder(s) understands that all oral bids legally bind the bidder(s) to comply with all applicable regulations, including, but not limited to, the requirement to pay the balance of the bonus bid amount for any lease area bid upon.
• Contact information, including names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses for the principal point of contact, payment and refund coordination, and up to five (5) individuals authorized to bid.
• Identification of any affiliated entities as defined above and confirmed in this FLN for this lease sale.
• Recertification of the information provided in the BFF on the day of the sale. Prior to the offering of any oral bids at the lease sale, an authorized representative must confirm that theinformation provided by the company in the BFF remains accurate and the company's eligibility to participate in the lease sale is unchanged. Any updates or changes must be declared at this time. Bidders who do not complete the required recertification will not be permitted to submit an oral bid.

For this sale, MMA will only accept bidders' BFFs by mail. Instructions for submission can be found on the BFF. The BFF must be executed on paper with a signature by an authorized representative identified in the bidder's qualification documentation as authorized to bind the company.

VIII. The Lease Sale

Auction Format

Location: MMA will hold Lease Sale PACM-1 on Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., at the Ventura County Fire Department Headquarters, 2400 Conejo Spectrum Street, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. The venue will not be open to the public. Only qualified bidders and their designated representatives will be admitted to the venue. The oral ascending clock auction will be live streamed on MMA's website at www.boem.gov for public viewing.

Time Zone: All times referenced in this document are Pacific Time, unless otherwise specified.

Purpose: The oral auction is solely for taking oral bids from qualified bidders until only one bidder remains on each lease area. MMA will announce a provisional winner for each lease area at the conclusion of the auction. The United States reserves the right to reject any and all bids, as detailed in Section IX of this document under the subheading entitled, “Acceptance, Rejection, or Return of Bids” below.

Auction Seminar

MMA will hold a virtual auction seminar for qualified bidders prior to the lease sale. The auction seminar will begin at 11:00 a.m. on November 12, 2026.

• The seminar will not be open to the public.
• During the session, MMA will describe the auction process, explain rules and procedures, and provide an opportunity for qualified bidders to ask questions.

Auction Details

The auction will be conducted pursuant to OCSLA and its implementing regulations at 30 CFR part 581.

• The auction will be conducted as an in-person, oral ascending clock auction, with each lease area auctioned sequentially.
• MMA will allow each qualified bidder to bid for and potentially acquire both lease areas. If an entity wishes to win both lease areas, it must submit two bid deposits. A bidder that submits only one bid deposit and does not win the first lease area may continue bidding for the second lease area.
• MMA will verify receipt of bid deposits prior to participation in the auction.
• Up to five individuals may attend the auction on behalf of a bidding entity. Bidding entities must advise MMA via email atpacific.region@boem.gov no later than 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, 2026, that they intend to participate in the auction, and include the list of individuals expected to attend. MMA will promptly respond to the email with additional instructions for attending the auction. Bidding entities who do not notify MMA and obtain advance approval for individuals to attend will not be granted access to the venue.
• The BFF must identify the individuals authorized to bid.
• An authorized representative of the qualified bidder must be present at the time of the lease sale to recertify the BFF.
• The authorized representative and persons authorized to bid must provide proof of identity matching the BFF.

IX. Bidding Rules

MMA will auction lease OCS-P 0569 first, followed by lease OCS-P 0568. The auction will proceed sequentially, one lease area at a time. The provisional winner of the first lease area will be permitted to bid for the second lease area, provided they submit the appropriate initial bonus bid deposit(s) in accordance with the instructions in the section entitled, “Bonus Bid Deposit.”

For each lease area, the auction will be conducted in a series of rounds with incrementally higher prices, which will be set by MMA. In each round, all bidders will have the opportunity to signal participation within the specified time period. If a bidder fails to signal its participation at a given price, that will ( printed page 66357) indicate that the bidder has withdrawn from the bidding for that lease area. MMA will verify participation or withdrawal with each bidder at the close of the round and, once confirmed, either participation or withdrawal will be final. The auction will continue until only one bidder signals participation at a given price. That bidder becomes the provisional winner of the lease area.

When a bidder withdraws from bidding in a lease area by failing to signal participation at the next highest price, they will be asked to submit an exit bid, which is the highest price they are willing to pay for the lease area. The exit bid must be no lower than the round's price at which the bidder last signaled participation and must be below the price of the next round. If a bidder fails to submit an exit bid, the last price at which they signaled participation will be used as their exit bid. Exit bids are used if no bidders signal participation in a given round, a tie occurs, or the provisional winner does not meet the lease execution requirements or otherwise fails to comply with applicable regulations. In these cases, MMA reserves the right to offer the lease area to the bidder submitting the next highest bid offer as determined by MMA.

MMA will set a time limit for signaling participation within each round. The auction facilitator may close the round early if all active bidders have indicated their decision for the round. A warning will be issued before early closure. This time limit is set to expedite the sale procedure, but extensions may be granted upon request. A recess may be declared at any time the situation warrants, at the sole discretion of the Pacific Regional Director, or his or her designee.

The provisional winner of each lease area will pay the final bid deposit in accordance with the instructions in the section below entitled, “Bonus Bid Deposit.” If the provisional winner does not submit the final bid deposit as outlined in the section entitled, “Bonus Bid Deposit,” MMA, in its discretion, may retain the initial bid deposit and offer the area to the next highest bidder. Similarly, if the provisional winner does not follow through with the remainder of the bid as outlined in the section below entitled, “Lease Award,” MMA, in its discretion, may retain the bid deposit and offer the area to the next highest bidder. A provisional winner will be disqualified if it is subsequently found to have violated auction rules, OCSLA, applicable regulations, or otherwise engaged in conduct detrimental to the integrity of the competitive auction.

Authorized Signatures

All signatories executing documents on behalf of the bidder(s) must execute the same in conformance with MMA qualification records. MMA considers any actions taken by an authorized bidder during the oral ascending clock auction process as a legally binding obligation on the part of the bidder(s) to comply with all applicable regulations, including fulfilling the bonus bid requirement for all high bids.

Bonus Bid Deposit

A bonus bid deposit of 20 percent of the total bid amount is required. Each bid deposit will be payable in two parts:

1. Each qualified bidder must submit an initial bonus bid deposit to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) equal to 20 percent of the minimum bid owed for each lease area it wishes to win. For example, if a bidder is interested in winning only one lease area, they would pay a bid deposit of $600,000 (20% * $3,000,000). If a bidder seeks the ability to win both lease areas, it must submit two bid deposits each in the amount of $600,000. The initial bonus bid deposit(s) must be received by November 5, 2026, and will be electronically deposited into an interest-bearing account in the U.S. Treasury.

2. After the oral auction has ended, the provisional winning bidder for each lease area must pay a final bonus bid deposit by 2:00 p.m. on the first business day after the auction. The total bid deposit is 20 percent of the winning high bid. The amount owed in the final bonus bid deposit is 20 percent of the winning high bid less the initial bonus bid deposit already paid. If a bidder is the provisional winning bidder for both lease areas, it must submit two final bonus bid deposits.

MMA requires bidders to use EFT procedures for bonus bid deposit payments for this lease sale, following the detailed instructions contained on the ONRR Payment Information web page at www.onrr.gov/​paying. Receipt of a bonus bid deposit does not constitute, and will not be construed as, acceptance of any bid on behalf of the United States. Non-winning bidders will have their initial bonus bid deposit(s) refunded.

Withdrawal of Blocks

The United States reserves the right to withdraw any block from this lease sale before issuance of a written acceptance of a bid for the block.

Acceptance, Rejection, or Return of Bids

The United States reserves the right to reject any and all bids, regardless of the amount offered. Furthermore, no bid will be accepted, and no lease for any block will be awarded to any bidder, unless:

1. The bidder has complied with all applicable statutes, regulations and requirements of the FLN, including those set forth in the documents contained in this FLN package; and

2. The bid is the highest valid bid and meets or exceeds MMA's minimum bid in this FLN.

Any bid submitted that does not conform to the requirements of the FLN, OCSLA, or other applicable statute or regulation will be rejected and returned to the bidder. The United States Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission will review the results of this lease sale for any antitrust issues prior to the acceptance of bids and issuance of leases.

Lease Award

MMA will use Form BOEM-2004 (April 2026) to convey leases resulting from this sale. This lease form can be viewed on MMA's website at www.boem.gov/​about-boem/​procurement-business-opportunities/​boem-ocs-operation-forms. The lease form will be amended to include specific terms, conditions, and stipulations applicable to the individual lease. Each bidder that is awarded a lease is required to complete the following within 10 business days of receipt of the lease from MMA:

1. Execute all copies of the lease (Form BOEM-2004 [April 2026], as amended); and

2. Pay by EFT the balance of the bonus bid amount for each lease issued in accordance with the requirements of the FLN and 30 CFR 1218.155 and 581.26.

ONRR requests that bidders use only one transaction for payment of the balance of the bonus bid amount. Once ONRR receives such payment, the bidder who has been awarded the lease may not request a refund of the balance of the bonus bid payment.

Unlawful Combination or Intimidation

MMA warns bidders against violation of 18 U.S.C. 1860, which prohibits unlawful combination or intimidation of bidders.

X. Delay of Sale

The MMA Pacific Regional Director has the discretion to change any date, time, and/or location specified in this FLN if the Regional Director deems that an emergent event could interfere with a fair and orderly lease sale. Such events could include, but are not limited to, natural disasters ( e.g., earthquakes, fires or floods), wars, riots, acts of terrorism, ( printed page 66358) fires, strikes, civil disorder, or other events of a similar nature. In case of such events, bidders should call (805) 384-6305 or access the MMA website at www.boem.gov/​marine-minerals/​american-samoa-activities, for information regarding any changes.

91 FR 66352