A company’s plan to mine minerals near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and a federally protected wildlife refuge moved closer to final approval Friday as Georgia regulators released a draft permit for the project. , opponents say it could cause irreparable damage to natural monuments.
The Georgia Department of Environmental Protection said it will take 30 days to take public comments on the draft permit, then produce a final version and send it to the agency’s director for approval.
Twin Pines Minerals of Birmingham, Alabama, has received government permission to mine titanium dioxide within five miles of the southeastern boundary of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the largest protected area in the United States east of the Mississippi River. I have been working since 2019 to achieve this goal.
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Federal scientists have warned that mining near the edge of Okefenokee’s bowl could damage the wetland’s water-holding capacity. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland declared in 2022 that the proposed mine would pose an “unacceptable risk” to the fragile ecosystem of the Georgia-Florida border.
“This is a dark day in Georgia’s history,” said Josh Marks, an Atlanta environmental attorney and leader of the group Georgians for Okefenokee. “EPD may have signed the death warrant for Okefenokee Swamp, the state’s largest natural monument.”
In a document released Friday, state regulators cited past comments that analysis shows the proposed 773-acre mine would not cause significant damage to the Okefenokee or reduce water levels. repeated.
April 6, 2022 at dusk at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Fargo, Georgia. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File)
“EPD’s modeling indicates that the mine’s impact on the Okefenokee Refuge will be minimal, even during periods of drought,” the agency said.
Twin Pines President Steve Engle praised regulators’ decision to move forward after a “thorough evaluation of the application.”
Ingle has long maintained that his company can mine Okefenokee without harm.
“We look forward to strong government oversight of mine-to-reclamation projects that fully protect the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge and the local environment,” Ingle said in a statement.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge covers approximately 630 square miles in southeastern Georgia and is home to alligators, bald eagles, and other protected species. The swamp wildlife, cypress forests, and flooded grasslands are visited by about 600,000 people each year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the preserve.
In February 2019, the Fish and Wildlife Service wrote that the proposed mine could pose “significant risks” to wetlands, including their ability to hold water. Some impacts “may not be recoverable, remediable or mitigated.”
In a written analysis, C. Rhett Jackson, a hydrology professor at the University of Georgia, told state regulators that Twin Pines’ proposed mine would siphon enough groundwater to reduce the frequency and duration of severe droughts in the southeastern corner of the swamp. warned that it would triple.
Since the U.S. government, which typically works with state regulators to review environmental permits, has relinquished oversight of the Twin Pines project, Georgia regulators will play a larger role in deciding whether to approve the mine.
The Army Corps of Engineers was reviewing federal permits for Twin Pines in 2020 when it declared it no longer had jurisdiction due to deregulation under then-President Donald Trump. Despite President Joe Biden’s efforts to restore federal oversight, the Corps entered into a legal agreement with Twin Pines to maintain a hands-off position.
A mining project is underway as the National Park Service seeks to add the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Conservation groups say this rare distinction will raise Okefenokee’s profile as one of the world’s last intact blackwater wetlands and home to more than 400 animal species.
The draft permit was made public just two weeks after Twin Pines agreed to pay a $20,000 fine ordered by Georgia regulators for violating state law while collecting soil samples for the permit application. .
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Twin Pines denied wrongdoing but said it agreed to the fine to avoid further delays.
“It’s unthinkable for anyone who actually cares about Georgia’s environment to argue that this mine won’t harm the vital wetlands and wildlife of the Okefenokee ecosystem,” the wildlife advocacy group said. Southeast Regional Director Ben Prater said in a statement. He added: “EPD has one job.” Permit must be refused. ”
Some members of the Georgia House of Representatives are again pushing a bill that would ban further mining outside of Okefenokee. The proposal received a public hearing last year but stalled in a House committee. The measure would not prevent Twin Pines from obtaining any permits it already has pending, but if the law becomes law it would prohibit the company from expanding its mining operations.
