The order drew immediate condemnation from ocean conservation groups who say deep sea mining risks a fragile and barely explored environment.

President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday, including one that seeks to jumpstart large-scale deep-sea mining operations on the ocean floor, which has never been done before. The deep-sea mining order comes as the Trump administration expects to find valuable minerals on the ocean floor, such as manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper, which can be used for energy purposes and in weapons, per The Hill.

The order, Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, aims to establish “the United States as a global leader in responsible seabed mineral exploration, development technologies, and practices, and as a partner for countries developing seabed mineral resources in areas within their national jurisdictions.”