The Metals Company, which has been trying for years to exploit battery materials strewn across the ocean floor, announced today that it has applied for a permit from the Trump administration to start commercially mining in international waters.

A recent executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump to invest in deep sea mining operations could have dire environmental consequences, according to a northern Ontario mining expert.

At a congressional hearing, one executive welcomed President Trump’s “starting gun” to begin mining. Democrats and Republicans clashed over environmental and business concerns.