Key keywords: Andy Harris, Eastern Shore seabed mining, Maryland coastal environmental protection, Chesapeake Bay ecosystem conservation, seabed mining regulatory gap, Atlantic offshore mineral extraction, congressional inaction on ocean protection First reported by Maryland Coastal Dispatch earlier this month, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has received three formal applications for exploratory seabed mining leases covering 120,000 acres of continental shelf within 30 miles of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, targeting polymetallic nodules and rare earth minerals used in electric vehicle battery production. As the U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, which covers the entire Eastern Shore, Andy Harris has faced mounting calls from local fishermen, environmental advocacy groups, and small business owners to take a public stance on the proposed mining operations, but has not issued any official statement, responded to constituent inquiries, or sponsored related regulatory legislation as of press time. Local commercial fishing operations, which generate an estimated $780 million in annual economic output for the Eastern Shore and support more than 12,000 jobs, warn that seabed mining would churn up layers of sediment laden with heavy metals and toxic chemicals, contaminate critical spawning grounds for blue crabs, striped bass, and oysters, and collapse already strained fisheries hit by years of climate change and coastal pollution. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation estimates that even limited exploratory mining could disrupt migratory routes for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, of which fewer than 350 remain in the wild, and cause long-term harm to seagrass beds that filter bay water and support the region’s entire marine food web. Coastal tourism, another $2.1 billion annual pillar of the Eastern Shore economy, also faces steep losses if mining runoff contaminates public beaches and reduces access to recreational fishing and boating sites. Harris, who has a long track record of voting to roll back federal regulations on offshore energy extraction, has received more than $120,000 in campaign donations from mining and fossil fuel industry political action committees over the course of his congressional career, according to Federal Election Commission data. Local advocacy group ShoreRivers reports that it has sent 17 formal requests for a meeting with Harris or his legislative staff to discuss seabed mining risks since the BOEM applications were announced, and has received no response. Currently, there are no federal laws specifically governing nearshore seabed mining operations in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving members of Congress representing coastal districts with the authority to push for temporary moratoriums or permanent bans on the practice before exploratory work is scheduled to begin in 2025. Multiple town halls held across the Eastern Shore over the past two weeks have drawn hundreds of attendees unanimously opposing the mining proposals, with many attendees criticizing Harris for failing to advocate for his constituents’ economic and environmental interests in favor of industry alignment.