TUES. 4/9 DEADLINE for public comments on Okefenokee mining proposal

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Alabama mining company Twin Pines, LLC hasn’t given up on plans to mine titanium at Trail Ridge, an important natural dam near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, threatening this unique and wondrous natural resource as well as the adjacent St. Marys River. Twin Pines' plans include pumping 1.4 million gallons of water a day from the aquifer that feeds the Okefenokee. Despite the obvious threat to the wildlife refuge, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources granted a permit for the proposed mine in February, with a public comment period that extends through this Tuesday, April 9. (You can thank the Trump administration for the loophole that enabled the approval.)

Submit your comments directly to the DNR at [e-mail] or use the comment form on one of the websites below. As always, personal, unique comments are weighted more heavily than form letters, so if you have the time, phrasing your comments in your own words will be most effective. If you’ve visited the Okefenokee personally, including your appreciation for the place is a nice touch. (And if not, you really should visit, because it’s gorgeous!)

Key issues / talking points are summarized on the Georgia Water Coalition’s website:
https://www.gawater.org/okefenokee-swamp - scroll down to What's so special about the Okefenokee?. Here are some quotes from the Georgia Conservancy's April 5, 2024 letter to DNR:

• The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge provides a safe haven for thousands of species of plants and animals, including many that are threatened and endangered.


• In addition, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge functions as an international destination for outdoor recreation and serves as an unmatched location for wonder, spiritual renewal, and solitude.


• Boasting more than 700,000+ visits per year, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is an economic engine that contributes more than $64 million to the local economies and supports an associated 750 long-term, sustainable jobs.


• Simultaneously, the Okefenokee provides invaluable ecosystem services such as water quality protection and carbon sequestration.

Full Georgia Conservancy letter is here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/573a164662cd94560721d9a7/t/6610330627e05f1347d0d527/1712337671232/Twin+Pines+-+Draft+Permit+GC+Comment+Letter+040924.pdf

To get an idea of how special this place is, see:

For more information, see:

• Georgia Conservancy - https://www.georgiaconservancy.org/okefenokee/mining


• Southern Environmental Law Center - https://act.southernenvironment.org/o9jl4iw


• Georgia Water Coalition - https://www.gawater.org/okefenokee-swamp


• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ‘Not now, not ever’: Public tells officials to stop Okefenokee mine - https://www.ajc.com/news/business/not-now-not-ever-public-tells-officials-to-stop-okefenokee-mine/5CACOOZADZEHJGAWRABU32ICRE/


• ”A Dire Threat to a National Wildlife Treasure” - NY Times essay by Margaret Renkl - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/25/opinion/okefenokee-strip-mine-georgia.html
  (non-paywall version: https://archive.ph/rxQd8)


• Overview from the Savannah Morning News - https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/environment/2024/02/15/georgia-issues-drafts-permits-for-controversial-mine-near-okefenokee-swamp/72617797007/


• Other articles from the Savannah Morning News / SavannahNow.com - https://www.savannahnow.com/search/?q=Twin+Pines+Okefenokee

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1. New legislative effort emerges in Georgia to stop mining near Okefenokee Swamp

- Dave Williams, Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer, via Yahoo News:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/legislative-effort-emerges-georgia-stop-090000839.html (March 25, 2024)

Legislative efforts to block a proposed titanium mine near the Okefenokee Swamp have taken a new turn.

The Georgia House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday on a bill declaring a three-year moratorium on acceptance of applications for dragline surface mining permits of heavy sands minerals. That’s the mining technique and type of minerals contemplated by Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals in its plan to mine titanium oxide along Trail Ridge.

The bill follows an announcement last month that the state Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has issued draft mining permits to Twin Pines for a 700-plus-acre demonstration site in Charlton County, the first step toward opening an 8,000-acre strip mine along the southeastern border of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

The bill would limit Twin Pines to a pilot project and restrict mining to that site until scientific data can be obtained to determine the effects of the mine on surrounding ecosystems.

Apparently this measure has some chance of passing, even in Georgia’s Republican-dominated legislature. But they need nudging. That’s why it’s so crucial to let DNR know an overwhelming number of Georgia voters oppose this disastrous strip-mining proposal.

Several South Georgia towns and counties have voiced their opposition to the Twin Pine Minerals plan. So it’s not just “tofu-eating Atlanta liberals” (my characterization) who’ve expressed interest.