Bellinger Discusses UN Law of the Sea Convention and Deep Seabed Mining on 60 Minutes
March 26, 2024
John Bellinger, co-chair of the firm’s Global Law and Public Policy group, was featured on the CBS News 60 Minutes segment, “Why the U.S. hasn't joined the race for deep sea mining in international waters.” Bellinger discussed the U.S. Senate’s refusal to approve the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and how this prevents the U.S. from mining for critical minerals in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Bellinger, who testified before the Senate in 2007 and again in 2012 while and after he was Legal Adviser of the State Department, explained that the George W. Bush administration supported the treaty because it codified access to the deep seabed and safeguarded the free navigation of U.S. ships around the world.
