• Support policies associated with responsible development of critical minerals from polymetallic nodules offshore.
• Support scientific capacity building and expanded US investment in the Cook Islands in support of responsible, sustainable development of critical minerals and rare earth elements (REEs) essential for national security and expanded deployment of electric vehicles and battery storage.

Duration: February 8, 2023 to present

General Issues: Energy/Nuclear, Foreign Relations, Natural Resources, Marine/Maritime/Boating/Fisheries

Spending: about $150,000 (But it's complicated. Here's why.)

It can be tricky to figure out how much an organization spent on a particular lobbying engagement. The law only requires lobbyists to report the amount they were paid for federal lobbying each quarter rounded to the nearest $10,000—and if it's less than $3,000 in a given quarter (or less than $13,000 for organizations with in-house lobbyists), they don't have to disclose it at all. Plus, some organizations include spending that doesn’t belong in the report—for instance, money spent lobbying state governments or other legal work.

Agencies lobbied since 2023: U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Defense - Dept of (DOD), State - Dept of (DOS), Energy - Dept of, Natl Security Council (NSC), Commerce - Dept of (DOC), Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP)