President Donald Trump is trying to fast track a brand new, highly controversial industry – mining critical minerals in the deep sea.

California-based company Impossible Metals asked the Trump administration earlier this month to auction off mining leases for areas off the coast of American Samoa, which would be within US-controlled waters. Trump’s executive order also directs the Secretary of the Interior to expedite the process for leasing areas for mining within US waters.

The practice of deep-sea mining involves using heavy machinery to remove minerals and metals from the seabed, where they build up into potato-sized nodules.