---
kind: "section"
citation: "30 U.S.C. § 1441"
title: "30"
title_heading: "Mineral Lands and Mining"
number: "1441"
heading: "Declaration of Congressional intent"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/30/1441"
units:
  - "Chapter 26 — Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources"
  - "Subchapter II — Transition to International Agreement"
---

# §1441. Declaration of Congressional intent


It is the intent of Congress—

- (1) that any [international agreement](/usc/30/1403.md?p=7) to which the [United States](/usc/30/1403.md?p=13) becomes a party should, in addition to promoting other national oceans objectives—
  - (A) provide assured and nondiscriminatory access, under reasonable terms and conditions, to the [hard mineral resources](/usc/30/1403.md?p=6) of the [deep seabed](/usc/30/1403.md?p=4) for [United States citizens](/usc/30/1403.md?p=14), and
  - (B) provide security of tenure by recognizing the rights of [United States citizens](/usc/30/1403.md?p=14) who have undertaken [exploration](/usc/30/1403.md?p=5) or [commercial recovery](/usc/30/1403.md?p=1) under subchapter I before such agreement enters into force with respect to the [United States](/usc/30/1403.md?p=13) to continue their operations under terms, conditions, and restrictions which do not impose significant new economic burdens upon such citizens with respect to such operations with the effect of preventing the continuation of such operations on a viable economic basis;
- (2) that the extent to which any such [international agreement](/usc/30/1403.md?p=7) conforms to the provisions of [paragraph (1)](#1) should be determined by the totality of the provisions of such agreement, including, but not limited to, the practical implications for the security of investments of any discretionary powers granted to an international regulatory body, the structures and decisionmaking procedures of such body, the availability of impartial and effective procedures for the settlement of disputes, and any features that tend to discriminate against [exploration](/usc/30/1403.md?p=5) and [commercial recovery](/usc/30/1403.md?p=1) activities undertaken by [United States citizens](/usc/30/1403.md?p=14); and
- (3) that this chapter should be transitional pending—
  - (A) the adoption of an [international agreement](/usc/30/1403.md?p=7) at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, and the entering into force of such agreement, or portions thereof, with respect to the [United States](/usc/30/1403.md?p=13), or
  - (B) if such adoption is not forthcoming, the negotiation of a multilateral or other treaty concerning the [deep seabed](/usc/30/1403.md?p=4), and the entering into force of such treaty with respect to the [United States](/usc/30/1403.md?p=13).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–283, title II, § 201, June 28, 1980, 94 Stat. 575.)