Bipartisan sponors have introduced two Georgia House bills to protect the Okefenokee Swamp:

• HB 561: Okefenokee Protection Act; similar to a previous bill
• HB 562: a five-year moratorium on mining permits on Trail Ridge; this one is new

These bills will not stop the current mining application before the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD). But they can stop further applications for expansion, which will make the current application much less valuable. And they can stop other mining applications, including by other companies using other mining methods.

The focus of these bills is Trail Ridge east of the Okefenokee Swamp, which is in the St. Marys River Basin. But there is no dam in the Swamp between that Basin and the watershed of the Suwannee River, which drains about 85% of the Swamp.

Please contact your Georgia House Representative and ask them to support these bills.
https://wwals.net/about/elected-officials/georgia-house/

Floridians, please urge your Georgia friends and family to do so. And you can call or write the Georgia State Representatives yourself. Remember: this is all upstream from Florida.

Two Georgia House bills introduced to protect the Okefenokee Swamp, February 20, 2025

The experienced mining company Chemours spilled 230,000 gallons of process water into the Suwannee River Basin in Florida a week ago.

The company that proposes to strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp for titanium dioxide, which is primarily used for white paint, is still under a Florida Consent Order for violations it caused when it was processing tailings at one of Chemours’ Florida mines.

So please ask your Georgia State Representatives to support these bills, and other methods of preventing mining near the Okefenokee Swamp. All of them who represent parts of the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia are listed here, with contact telephone numbers and email addresses:
https://wwals.net/about/elected-officials/georgia-house/

You can read more about these bills here: Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder, February 20, 2025, Georgia House lawmakers float bipartisan bill to protect Okefenokee Swamp from new mining efforts.

Links to the bills are below, along with their texts.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

HB 561: Okefenokee Protection Act; enact (PDF)

First Reader Summary

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to surface mining, so as to prohibit the director of the Environmental Protection Division of the Natural Resources Department from issuing, modifying, or renewing any permit or accepting any bond to conduct surface mining operations on Trail Ridge for future permit applications and amendments; to provide a definition; to provide for a short title; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Summary and Okefenokee Swamp as a vital part of Georgia of equal importance to all citizens of the state
PDF

25

LC 44 3003

House Bill 561

By: Representatives Taylor of the 173^rd, Stephens of the 164^th, Sainz of the 180^th, Greene of the 154^th, Buckner of the 137^th, and others

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT

1 To amend Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia

2 Annotated, relating to surface mining, so as to prohibit the director of the Environmental

3 Protection Division of the Natural Resources Department from issuing, modifying, or

4 renewing any permit or accepting any bond to conduct surface mining operations on Trail

5 Ridge for future permit applications and amendments; to provide a definition; to provide for

6 a short title; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for related matters; to repeal

7 conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

8

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

9

SECTION 1.

10 This Act shall be known and may be cited as the “Okefenokee Protection Act.”

11

SECTION 2.

12 The General Assembly finds that:

13 (1) The Okefenokee Swamp is a vital part of Georgia with more than local significance,

14 is of equal importance to all citizens of the state, is of state-wide concern, and

15 consequently is properly a matter for regulation and protection under the authority of the

16 State of Georgia to ensure the values and functions of the Okefenokee Swamp, including

17 its status as a popular and historic tourist attraction, are not impaired and to fulfill the

18 responsibilities of each generation as public trustees of the Okefenokee Swamp for

19 succeeding generations; and

Trail Ridge
PDF

20 (2) Trail Ridge is a key element in the formation and continued existence of the

21 Okefenokee Swamp. It shapes the hydrology of the area and controls drainage of the

22 swamp to the Atlantic Ocean. Trail Ridge contains heavy mineral sands, resulting in two

23 major surface mining proposals in the past 25 years. The people of Georgia as well as

24 state and national leaders overwhelmingly rejected the first proposal. Surface mining on

25 Trail Ridge risks adverse impacts to the wetlands, water quality and quantity, wildlife

26 habitat, air quality, and wilderness values of the Okefenokee Swamp. As a danger to the

27 future of the Okefenokee Swamp, Trail Ridge mining impacts the cultural heritage of

28 indigenous peoples of the area, as well as the historic heritage of the people and

29 communities whose existence has been shaped by the swamp.

30

SECTION 3.

31 Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,

32 relating to surface mining, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:

33 “12-4-85.

34 (a) As used in this Code section, the term ‘Trail Ridge’ means that elevated, geological

35 feature bounded on the west by the Okefenokee Swamp and its watershed: on the east by

36 an elevation of 100 feet above mean sea level; on the south by the triple divide of the

37 Soldiers Camp Island, Boone Creek, and Barbar Branch watersheds: and on the north by

38 the triple divide of the Upper Buffalo Creek, Big Creek, and Okefenokee Swamp

39 watersheds.

(b) The director of the division shall not issue, modify, or renew any permit or accept any bond to conduct surface mining operations on Trail Ridge for any permit application or permit amendment submitted on or after July 1, 2025.
PDF

40 (b) The director of the division shall not issue, modify, or renew any permit or accept any

41 bond to conduct surface mining operations on Trail Ridge for any permit application or

42 permit amendment submitted on or after July 1, 2025.”

43

SECTION 4.

44 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

WAM 0973, Trail Ridge Road, –Wayne Morgan for WWALS, 2019-10-05, 22:15:30

HB 562: Natural Resources, Department of; five-year moratorium on acceptance of applications for new or requests to modify existing permits; provisions (PDF)

First Reader Summary

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to surface mining, so as to provide for a five-year moratorium on the acceptance of applications for new permits and the acceptance of requests to modify existing permits by the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources to expand the area of land affected by surface mining operations on Trail Ridge; to provide a definition; to provide exemptions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Summary and definition of Trail Ridge
PDF

25

LC 44 3004

House Bill 562

By: Representatives Taylor of the 173rd, Stephens of the 164th, Sainz of the 180th, Greene of the 154th, Buckner of the 137th, and others

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT

1 To amend Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia
2 Annotated, relating to surface mining, so as to provide for a five-year moratorium on the
3 acceptance of applications for new permits and the acceptance of requests to modify existing
4 permits by the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources
5 to expand the area of land affected by surface mining operations on Trail Ridge; to provide
6 a definition; to provide exemptions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws;
7 and for other purposes.

8

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

9

SECTION 1.

10 Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
11 relating to surface mining, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
12 “12-4-85.
13 (a) As used in this Code section, the term ‘Trail Ridge’ means the elevated, geological
14 feature bounded on the west by the Okefenokee Swamp and its watershed; on the east by
15 an elevation of 100 feet above mean sea level; on the south by the triple divide of the
16 Soldiers Camp Island, Boone Creek, and Barbar Branch watersheds; and on the north by
17 the triple divide of the Upper Buffalo Creek, Big Creek, and Okefenokee Swamp
18 watersheds.

(b) Beginning on July 1, 2025, and continuing through June 30, 2030, the division shall not accept any applications for new permits, nor shall the division accept any requests to modify any existing permits for any surface mining operations on Trail Ridge that seek to expand the area of affected land.
PDF

19 (b) Beginning on July 1, 2025, and continuing through June 30, 2030, the division shall
20 not accept any applications for new permits, nor shall the division accept any requests to
21 modify any existing permits for any surface mining operations on Trail Ridge that seek to
22 expand the area of affected land.
23 (c) This Code section shall not prohibit the acceptance or denial of any applications for
24 new permits or requests to modify any existing permits for any surface mining operations
25 on Trail Ridge submitted to and deemed complete by the division on or before June 30,
26 2025.”

27

SECTION 2.

28 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

WAM 1016, Monkey Lake from Trail Ridge, –Wayne Morgan for WWALS, 2019-10-05, 22:17:43

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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