A pair of bills that would keep mining from expanding at least temporarily near the Okefenokee Swamp got an audience before state lawmakers this week, but their fates are not certain as a key legislative deadline approaches.
The House Natural Resources & Environment Resource Management Subcommittee did not vote Monday as Crossover Day looms on Thursday. Any bills that have not cleared at least one legislative chamber by that deadline typically face long odds of passing before the legislative session ends in April.
Twin Pines Minerals is seeking permission from the Environmental Protection Division to dig titanium sands from a 584-acre tract of Trail Ridge, a line of sand dunes on the Okefenokee’s eastern flank scientists consider key to the swamp’s hydrology.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Opponents of the project, including outside scientists, told legislators their analyses show the mine will disrupt water flows in and out of the swamp, increasing the frequency of wildfires that periodically tear through the landscape. A lifelong resident of Charlton County where the mine is planned questioned whether the jobs Twin Pines has promised to the rural area will actually go to locals.
A lawyer for Twin Pines' stood by the view of the company’s hired consultants, who say the mine will not harm the ecosystem, arguing lawmakers should let regulators decide whether the project is safe. Large landowners near the swamp also spoke out against the legislation, claiming the bans on mine permits near the swamp the bills propose infringe on private property rights.
The Okefenokee is North America’s largest intact wetland and is expected to be nominated to the United Nations' World Heritage List. Other sites with World Heritage status include Yellowstone National Park, the Great Barrier Reef and the pyramids of Giza.
Just over a year ago, EPD released draft permits for the project and the agency could grant the mine final approval any day now. Twin Pines has called its project a “demonstration mine,” but the company owns thousands more acres on Trail Ridge and could seek to expand. Other large landowners have explored mining on their lands.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Both bills were introduced last month by state Rep. Darlene Taylor, R-Thomasville, who has championed past legislation concerning the Okefenokee. The bills have bipartisan backing.
The first piece of legislation, the Okefenokee Protection Act (House Bill 561), would prohibit EPD from issuing, modifying or renewing any mining permits on Trail Ridge after July 1. The bill is nearly identical to legislation proposed in past sessions that failed to pass.
The second bill, House Bill 562, takes a lighter approach and would only keep EPD from considering new permits for mines on Trail Ridge or tweaking existing ones until mid-2030.
Taylor, who grew up near Florida’s Everglades, said she witnessed the damage human activity did to that vast wetland — which the federal government is now spending billions to undo. She said she fears a similar fate could be in store for the Okefenokee if mining is allowed on its edge.
“While I may not be a scientist, what I do have is common sense and I realize mining along the hydrologic boundary of the swamp makes no sense at all,” Taylor said.
Lewis Jones, an attorney for Twin Pines, said he understands the passion for protecting the Okefenokee, but said the company is entitled to permits if EPD determines the mining can be done safely. Jones claimed opponents of the project have produced no evidence that mining will harm the ecosystem.
“We’re not going to lower the water level of the swamp, we’re not going to pollute the swamp,” Jones said. “If that were going to happen, EPD wouldn’t issue the permits.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Rhett Jackson, a hydrologist at the University of Georgia, said Monday he used the same methodologies as EPD, but reached a different conclusion. He said the mine will shrink the Okefenokee’s water budget and increase the threat of wildfires, especially in the southeastern corner near the mine. Some of the largest wildfires in Georgia history have started in the swamp, before spilling into commercial timberlands.
“These hydrologic changes will come at a cost to Georgia residents, including firefighting expenses, lost timber on burned lands, ecological damage to the swamp, diminished reputation of the swamp as a pristine ecosystem and lost tourist visits,” Jackson said.
EPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the critique.
Opponents of the bills also raised concerns that banning permits for mines on Trail Ridge would infringe on private property rights or amount to an unconstitutional “taking” of property.
April Lipscomb, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said that is not the case.
“Trail Ridge owners can still put their properties to many other beneficial uses, like timber production, for example,” Lipscomb said. “They just can’t operate a surface mine.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
