Key minerals are the new oil: everyone needs them, but not every country has them. This has led some people to search for them in some pretty desolate places. Few places are as strange as the depths of the ocean.

But the incoming Trump administration appears to be pushing the development of deep-sea mining, according to the Wall Street Journal. A series of nominees have previously expressed support for the practice, which typically involves vacuuming egg-shaped rocks called nodules from the seafloor.

Nodules are made up of a range of minerals, depending on where they are located. Mining companies can recycle copper, nickel, cobalt and other minerals critical to data centers and the energy transition.

But deep-sea mining is controversial. Creatures thousands of feet below sea level tend to be slow-growing and fragile. Even minor damage to the seafloor can last for decades, and scientists worry that sediment plumes from mining companies' vacuum cleaners will leave scars that may never be recovered on human timescales.

Removing nodules could also threaten deep-sea life: Since light cannot reach depths to drive photosynthesis, organisms rely on other sources of energy and oxygen, from geothermal vents to the nodules themselves.

Still, the value of these minerals and their presence in international waters have some countries salivating at the prospect. The International Seabed Authority, a United Nations organization that regulates deep-sea mining in international waters, recently received a license application from U.S. Metals, which is working with the impoverished island republic of Nauru in the southern Pacific. Other countries, including Britain, Canada and France, have called for the practice to be banned.

Given the international spotlight on deep-sea mining, two Trump administration nominees stand out: Elise Stefanik and Marco Rubio. Stefanik is Trump's pick for U.N. ambassador, and Rubio is expected to head the State Department. Ultimately, they will negotiate with other countries to determine how to regulate deep-sea mining.

Despite the favorable political environment, deep-sea mining still faces some difficulties. Battery manufacturers have begun to shy away from expensive minerals such as nickel and cobalt. If this trend continues, it could dampen demand and drive down prices, hurting the industry's profitability.