WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
WWALS advocates for conservation and stewardship of the surface waters and groundwater of the Suwannee River Basin and Estuary, in south Georgia and north Florida, among them the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, Santa Fe, and Suwannee River watersheds, through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities.
These are the Georgia state Senators with districts most involved with the Okefenokee Swamp:
District 003
Senator Mike Hodges (R-Brunswick), (404) 463-1309,
(912) 464-1989, mike.hodges@senate.ga.gov (Charlton, Brantley, and east half of Ware Counties).
District 008,
Senator Russ Goodman (R-Homerville), (404) 463-1318, 912-218-0447, russ.goodman@senate.ga.gov, rustingoodman@gmail.com,
(Lowndes, Lanier, Echols, Clinch, Atkinson, and west half of Ware Counties).
These are the Georgia state Representatives with districts most involved:
174, John Corbett, R - Lake Park, (404) 656-5105, john.corbett@house.ga.gov, Charlton, Brantley, south half of Ware, Clinch, Echols, east third of Lowndes Counties.
180,
Steven Sainz, R - Woodbine, (404) 657-1803, steven.sainz@house.ga.gov, Camden and part of Glynn Counties: no Suwannee River Basin Counties after recent redistricting.
176, James Burchett, R - Waycross,
404-656-5105, Suite 1318, james.burchett@house.ga.gov, southwest Coffee, Atkinson, Lanier, and northeast Lowndes Counties
177,
Dexter Sharper, D - Valdosta, 404.656.0126, dexter.sharper@house.ga.gov, Lowndes County
You can also write to your U.S. Representative or Senator and ask them to urge the Corps to take back up its oversight of the mine site.
See former letter from former Rep. Al Lawson (FL-05).
For the requested Georgia state permit regarding Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, you can send a comment or request for public hearing to
Stephen Wiedl, Wetlands Unit, stephen.wiedl@dnr.ga.gov
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division, Water Protection Branch, 7 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30334.
Be sure to mention
Applicant: Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, Application Number: SAS-2018-00554.
For the Georgia Coastal Management Program certification, you can send a comment to
Federal Consistency Coordinator, Ecological Services Section, Coastal Resources Division,
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, One Conservation Way, Brunswick, Georgia 31523-9600
Telephone 912-264-7218.
You can also write to the Georgia DNR board, asking them to refuse any such instrument.
Georgia Board of Natural Resources
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SE, Suite 1252, Atlanta, GA 30334
To submit a letter to the editor of the Charlton County Herald,
you can email editor@charltonherald.com.
Or write to your local newspaper.
You can also contact radio, TV, and of course post on social media.
“The Savannah District will hold a virtual Public Meeting for
the Twin Pines project on May 13, 2020 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT.
The meeting will consist of a formal presentation followed by a
question and answer session. The meeting will be recorded and
published to the Savannah District public website. To allow time for
the public to submit questions and RSVP to the public meeting, as
well as comment on any information presented at the meeting,
additional public comments will be accepted and the original public
notice will remain open until May 28, 2020, 15 days after the
virtual public meeting.”
Abstract. A rapid response is observed between water
level fluctuations in the Okefenokee Swamp and water levels
in the underlying Floridan Aquifer. A lag of approximately
one month is common, and a hydraulic diffusivity of 3.83 x
10-3 m2 s-1 best matches the calculated aquifer response to the
swamp water level perturbations. The magnitude of leakage
between the swamp and the aquifer is uncertain because of a
lack of knowledge about the specific storage coefficient in the
aquitard separating the swamp and the aquifer which has not
been explicitly measured. An intermediate value of specific
storage within the likely range of values results in a down-
ward vertical flow of 1.2 meters of water per year. This
induced recharge can significantly alter the natural water
balance within the swamp. Such a large loss of water from
the swamp may be responsible for observed pH and water
level changes, and increased beavy metal accumulations in
aquatic organisms in the swamp.
Upcoming in August 2019 are two Public Meetings by Twin Pines Minerals
(these are not public hearings; no decision-making government body is involved in organizing these miners' meetings):
5:30-8:30
PM, Tuesday, August 13, Auditorium, 68 Kingsland Drive, Folkston, GA,
Come early at 4PM. Bring pictures of people with animals and plants or bring a sign if you can.
facebook event
5:30-8:30 PM, Wednesday, August 14, Fire Station Number 2, 13063
Florida Avenue, St. George, GA.
Come early at 4PM. Bring pictures of people with animals and plants or bring a sign if you can.
facebook event
This one is a decision-making governmental body:
6PM, Thursday, August 15,
Charlton County Commission, 68 Kingsland Drive, Folkston, GA.
They have already drafted a resolution in support of the mine.
Local people especially, please come say you don't want that,
or at least ask the county to insist on an Environmental Impact Statement first.
No demonstration outside, please; just come in, politely listen, and speak.
Suggestion from St. Mary's Earthkeepers, plus Suwannee:
Feel free to use the following “talking points” in your email:
The Okefenokee Swamp/National Wildlife Refuge/Wilderness is NOT a
suitable location for a titanium mine. The Swamp is considered one
of the "Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia", is the largest blackwater
swamp in North America, and has been designated a National Natural
Landmark.
The health of the St. Marys and Suwannee Rivers depends on the integrity of the
Okefenokee Swamp, myriad species rely on its wellbeing, and tourism
in the area is an economic boon to our region.
The Twin Pines mining project presents unnecessary and unacceptable
risks, and I urge the Charlton County Commissioners to oppose this
project unless and until a thorough Environmental Impact study shows
that no harm will be done to the Swamp, its tributaries, rivers, and
future. I am joined in my concern by the Georgia Conservancy, the
Southern Environmental Law Center, the Suwannee Riverkeeper, and
over 20 other regional and national environmental organizations.
From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
“We have concerns that the proposed project poses substantial
risks for significant affect to the environment. Should impacts
occur they may not be able to be reversed, repaired, or mitigated
for."
"Titanium is a common mineral, while the Okefenokee is a very
uncommon swamp."
"This will likely change its properties and the hydrology of the
area."
Please email the following people and ask that your message be
shared with all Commissioners.
COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, HAMPTON RAULERSON
hraulerson@charltoncountyga.gov
County Clerk, Jennifer Nobles
jnobles@charltoncountyga.gov
Chairman James E. Everett
jevephotochristianbooks@windstream.net
Congratulations to DeKalb County for passing a resolution supporting the Okefenokee Swamp.
You can encourage your city council or county commission to pass such a resolutin.
Local government resolutions help encourage state legislatures to pass bills.
DeKalb County Okefenokee Resolution 2023-10-24 PDF
National Geographic lists the Okefenokee Swamp among “The World's most beautiful places,
100 Unforgettable Destinations,”
along with the Everglades, the Amazon River, Yosemite and Grand Canyon National Parks, the Pyramids, and the Great Wall of China.
Yesterday, September 11, 2023, the Clinch County Commission unanimously passed
a resolution supporting the Okefenokee Swamp and the Suwannee River
against the proposed titanium mine,
and
set aside $50,000 as cash match for a Dark Sky Observatory next to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (ONWR).
In addition to its usual business of roads and taxes,
the Clinch County Commission discussed with Suwannee Riverkeeper
outings, boat ramps, and a proposed resolution against the strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp.
If white paint wasn't a bad enough reason for a strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp,
how about food coloring linked to serious health issues?
“Research shows the chemical [titanium dioxide] is likely a neurotoxin and immunotoxin,
and can damage the reproductive system, cause birth defects and
damage genes.”
Remember: Twin Pines Minerals is proposing to mine titanium dioxide, not titanium metal.
And the Okefenokee Swamp is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers,
exchanging surface water with groundwater down to the Floridan Aquifer, from which we all drink in south Georgia and north Florida.
For ways you can object to the permits for that strip mine, currently before the
Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD),
or to support a bill that would prevent it expanding,
see:
https://wwals.net/issues/titanium-mining/
Public health advocates say a common color enhancer added to
thousands of US foods is toxic and dangerous, and have formally
petitioned federal regulators to ban the chemical's use.
You can still send your comment to TwinPines.Comment@dnr.ga.gov. Floridians, you, too. Join the more than hundred thousand comments so far, including from all nine Riverkeepers of Georgia, and from Waterkeepers Florida, representing all fifteen Waterkeepers of Georgia, as well as from WWALS.
I sent this at 4:08 PM today to TwinPines.Comment@dnr.ga.gov:
“Please find attached a letter of opposition by all nine Riverkeepers of Georgia to the mining permit applications by Twin Pines Minerals, LLC.”
...
Meanwhile, all the Waterkeepers of Georgia and Florida oppose
that strip mine for white paint, and support the Okefenokee Swamp,
the St. Marys and Suwannee Rivers, and the Floridan Aquifer.
Waterkeepers Florida, representing all fifteen Waterkeepers of Florida,
opposes a titanium dioxide strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp,
in a letter to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp Friday.
Land Protection Branch,
4244 International Parkway,
Atlanta Tradeport- Suite 104,
Atlanta, Georgia 30354
twinpines.comment@dnr.ga.gov
RE: WWALS Public Comments on Mining Land Use Plan of Twin Pines Minerals, LLC (PDF)
Dear EPD,
This letter recommends denying the permit applications by Twin Pines Minerals, LLC (TPM) to mine for titanium dioxide (TiO2) near the Okefenokee Swamp, based on specifics of the Mining Land Use Plan,1
as requested in the Notice of the Opportunity for Public Comment.2
First, we present some context for why this decision is important far away from the Okefenokee Swamp.
Any lowered water level or dewatering of the surface around the Swamp increases the risk of fires. The 2007 Bugaboo fire spread smoke west across the Suwannee River Basin, causing respiratory distress 80 miles away in Quitman, continuing 450 miles to Meridian, Mississippi. Southwards the smoke closed I-75 and went 370 miles to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. North it went 250 miles to Atlanta.
During the 2017 West Mims fire, Lowndes County Fire (along with Valdosta and its other cities, and nearby counties) sent assistance from 75 miles away.
They were among 900 firefighters from across the country.3
“There’s nobody
that can tackle something like that alone,” said Lowndes County Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye, before Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter read a thank-you letter from the Charlton County Commission, which said in part, “We would not have been able to defend the livelihood of our citizens without you or your equipment.”4
Don't forget to send comment to GA-EPD against the proposed strip mine
far too near the Okefenokee Swamp.
And ask your Georgia statehouse members (or those of your friends or family)
to
sign on to HB 71 to prevent further such mines.
The headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers, the Okefenokee Swamp,
is threatened by a proposed strip mine too close to it.
That mine site also sits above the Floridan Aquifer, from which we all drink.
Here is a handy form you can use to ask your Georgia state legislators to support
HB 71,
to protect the largest blackwater wetland in North America:
https://protectgeorgia.org/okefenokee/#/366/
GA DNR keeps passing the buck about the
proposal to strip mine for titanium within three miles of the Okefenokee Swamp,
by miners from Alabama, Twin Pines Minerals, LLC.
The Swamp is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers and it interchanges surface water with groundwater all the way down to the Floridan Aquifer, from which we all drink.
And ask
your Georgia House Representative
to sign on to
HB 71,
the Okefenokee Protection Act.
That bill will not stop this permit application,
but it would stop further expansion of that mine and any other mines
on the east side of the Swamp.
Trail Ridge Land LLC
Land the Charlton County Tax Assessors show owned by Trail Ridge Land LLC.
The northwest corner buts right up against the Swamp.
Floridians, you can comment. And you can ask your Georgia friends and relatives to ask their statehouse members to sign on to HB 71.
Back in September, Georgia DNR Board Chair Bill Jones said....
Yes, why not this? “Why not have a rural development strike force that can laser in on the Charlton counties of Georgia? With enough bright minds, willpower and sufficient investment, oxygen can be pumped into the gasping communities that are—for the most part—on life support.”
That would be way better than a strip mine near the Okefenokee Swamp,
the headwaters of the Suwannee and St Marys Rivers, above the Floridan Aquifer,
from which we all drink.
The opposing sides are not barefoot on Jekyll Island's beach, but
there's a definite line drawn in the sand. Feet are dug in, and
muscles are straining. On one side is an Alabama mining company and
its fleet of high-powered lobbyists. Pulling the other way are
millions of nature-loving Georgians who want to thwart Twin Pines
Minerals from strip-mining near the Okefenokee Swamp.
This tug-o-war has been off and on for years. First it was....
GA-EPD is providing more public comment opportunity than it has been promising for the past year.
It has opened a comment period on Twin Pines Minerals Mining Land Use Plan,
after which it will do what it previously promised:
issue a draft permit and open a comment period on that.
You can object now to that titanium dioxide strip mine for white paint far too close to the Okefenokee Swamp, which is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers, and sits above the Floridan Aquifer from which we all drink in south Georgia and north Florida.
You can email or paper mail your comments, or join one of two zoom webinars.
Land Protection Branch,
4244 International Parkway,
Atlanta Tradeport- Suite 104,
Atlanta, Georgia 30354
A member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet is urging Georgia
officials to deny permits for a proposed mine near the edge of the
famed Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge....
You, too, can do what all the Waterkeepers of Florida did, and ask the Governor of Georgia and other elected officials to stop that mine too near the Okefenokee:
May 7, 2020, Hahira, Georgia —
In an apparently unprecedented move, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is holding a "virtual Public Meeting" about a mining application.
Suwannee Riverkeeper calls on everyone who can to join this online Public Meeting, for at least a few minutes between 2 and 5 PM on Wednesday, May 13, 2020.
This will help show there is substantial controversy
about the proposed titanium mine on the doorstep of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
That could cause the Corps to at least require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),
or maybe even to deny the permit.
“The Corps needs to know people consider the beauty of the Okefenokee Swamp, and the birding, boating, fishing, and hunting nearby that it provides,
to be too important to risk with a strip mine far too close to the Swamp,”
said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.
“Everyone down to the Gulf of Mexico should be concerned about this strip mine at the headwaters of the the Suwannee River, and east on the St. Marys River to the Atlantic. Way west at Valdosta, Georgia, exits from I-75 say Okefenokee Swamp this way, so the economic benefits of the Swamp are widespread. People visit the Swamp and the Suwannee from all over the world, and the public outcry needs to be just as widespread.”
To attend the virtual Public Meeting, first you must RSVP by emailing:
To: CESAS-SpecialProjects@usace.army.mil
Subject: “RSVP for 13 MAY Public Meeting TPM”
Make sure that you include your full name, email address, and contact phone number with area code.
Before the meeting, you will receive the meeting link and security code. Just click the link and follow the prompts.
On Friday, Waterkeepers Florida, a regional entity composed of all
13 Waterkeeper organizations working in the State of Florida to
protect and restore our water resources across over 45,000 square
miles of watershed, which is home to over 15 million Floridians,
wrote to both the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. EPA asking
for more third-party comment on the application by Twin Pines
Minerals, LLC, to strip mine for titanium near the Okefenokee Swamp,
which is the headwaters of the St. Marys and Suwannee Rivers.
Comment by this Monday, April 13, 2020, if you don't want any of these creeks, rivers, or the Okefenokee Swamp affected by this strip mine, or the Floridan Aquifer, in Georgia or in Florida.
The Twin Pines Minerals strip mine site drains west from Trail Ridge into the River Styx, into the Okefenokee Swamp, and to the St. Marys River, which becomes the border between Georgia and Florida.
On the east, it drains into Boone Creek and into the St. Marys River.
If it affects the Swamp, it will affect the Suwannee River, which runs through Georgia and Florida to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Rule the Corps is following for comments says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can require any other affected state to comment.
So you can ask EPA to ask Florida to comment.
Here is our request for that.
Here's a simple version you can use:
[Your Name or Your Organization Name]
requests the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pursuant to 33 CFR § 325.2, (b),
regarding permit application SAS-2018-0054 to determine that
the mining activities of the subject Application may affect the
quality of the waters of the state of Florida and to notify the
state of Florida, the district engineer, and the applicant that
Florida ‘has 60 days from receipt of EPA's notice to determine
if the proposed discharge will affect the quality of its waters so
as to violate any water quality requirement in such state, to notify
EPA and the district engineer in writing of its objection to permit
issuance, and to request a public hearing.’
The inset map is from Figure 66 in the TPM application.
TPM didn't label the waterways, but that's the River Styx where it says MSW-1, and Boone Creek where it says MSW-4.
Both lead to the St. Marys River, which becomes the Georgia-Florida state line. The River Styx joins the St. Marys in the Okefenokee Swamp, which is the headwaters of the Suwannee River....
WWALS requests the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
“EPA regarding permit application SAS-2018-0054 to determine that
the mining activities of the subject Application may affect the quality of the waters of the
state of Florida and to notify the state of Florida, the district engineer, and the applicant
that Florida ‘has 60 days from receipt of EPA's notice to determine if the proposed
discharge will affect the quality of its waters so as to violate any water quality
requirement in such state, to notify EPA and the district engineer in writing of its
objection to permit issuance, and to request a public hearing.’
We quoted from the Rule the Army Corps says it is using in its comment period
for the re-application by an Alabama company to strip mine for titanium near the Okefenokee Swamp, which is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers,
and interchanges water with the Floridan Aquifer, all of which affects Florida.
You can also send a letter like this to the EPA, asking for comment from the state of Florida and a public hearing in Florida.
Or you can send a comment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requesting a 120-day extension of their ridiculously brief comment deadline of April 14, 2020,
and public hearings,
like like WWALS did.
Below is the text of the letter WWALS just sent to the Corps
as a PDF.
[...]
Dear Colonel Hibner,
Regarding permit application SAS-2018-0054 by Twin Pines Minerals,
LLC, of Birmingham, Alabama, Suwannee Riverkeeper for WWALS
Watershed Coalition (WWALS) asks the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE) to extend the public comment period and to hold public
hearings, as detailed at the end of this letter.
Review of the current 219-page Application and the hundreds of pages
of appendices is not practicable in...
Hahira, Georgia, March 16, 2020 —
The coalition of supporters of the Okefenokee Swamp against anything that would harm it stands ready to stop the new strip mine application, same as the old one.
Twin Pines Minerals (TPM) of Birmingham, Alabama, in its new application
claims its proposed titanium strip mine
less than three miles from the Okefenokee Swamp
would be on a “reduced mining area,”
which is actually 86% of what they proposed last time.
They say they want to do a “demonstration” mine.
Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman says,
“Let their foot in the door and it will be even harder to get rid of them later.
TPM is under a Florida Consent Order along with Chemours for violations
at four mines due south in north Florida.
Chemours now wants a fifth Florida titanium mine on Trail Ridge.
Why would we think TPM would stop with just a nibble of Trail Ridge in Georgia?
Our Okefenokee Swamp with its fishing, boating, birding, and hunting nearby,
is much more important than any mine,
especially since it is the headwaters of the Suwannee River and the St Marys River.”
Despite TPM's assurances, the miners have not proven....
I sent a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers to express my
concerns about Twin Pines Minerals, LLC's plan to mine for titanium
near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. These actions could
have detrimental effects on the area's biodiversity and natural
resources.
“In an effort to be even more conservative in our approach
than we were in our initial application, we have agreed with the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the size of the permit area
and resubmit new documentation for....
“We reiterate our concern and position that an appropriate project review for 401 water quality certification is not yet possible since complete substantive and important information about the proposed hydrogeologic effects of this project relative to the surrounding landscape has not yet been submitted by the applicant.”
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) wrote that to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in response to the thousands of pages of low-level data but only a few pages of analysis that Twin Pines Minerals (TPM) has sent those agencies.
Twin Pines Minerals is still failing to hoist its burden of proof that its propsosed titanium strip mine would not jeopardize this national treasure, the Okefenokee Swamp, the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers....
That's about “the permit application submitted by Twin Pines
Minerals, LLC” for a titanium strip mine. “The proposed
2,414-acre mine area lies in proximity to the Okefenokee National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and the potential secondary effects of the
mine on the NWR have not been demonstrated by the permit
applicant.”
This is the second letter EPA has sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saying the mining application is deficient. We obtained a copy through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The entire letter is here:
http://wwals.net/?p=50931.
You, too, can still comment to the USACE, and all comments they
receive before the Corps announces a decision can be used in any
potential lawsuits. The addresses are:....
Or send a letter to this newspaper, or your local newspaper, helping
to demonstrate widespread public opposition to this bad mining
proposal....
Thanks to the more than two dozen organizations, local, regional,
statewide in Florida and Georgia, national, and international, that
oppose the titanium mine that would be far too close to the
Okefenokee Swamp:....
Thanks to the more than two dozen organizations, local, regional, statewide in Florida and Georgia, national, and international, that oppose the titanium mine that would be far too close to the Okefenokee Swamp.
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (ONWR) provides boating, birding, fishing, and hunting nearby to the tune of more than $60 million a year and more than 700 jobs, making it the NWR of most economic benefit to each of Georgia and Florida.
The Okefenokee Swamp is a unique ecological treasure, and is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers.
The burden of proof is on the miners, and they have not met it.
The cause of this flight was the titanium mine Twin Pines Minerals wants to put near the southeast corner of the Okefenokee Swamp. We documented they have heavy equipment on that site now:
The Georgia Water Coalition Dirty Dozen used one of these aerial pictures taken by Wayne Morgan for WWALS on a Southwings flight for Suwannee Riverkeeper, pilot Allen Nodorft, October 5, 2019....
2019's Worst Offenses Against GEORGIA'S WATER
OKEFENOKEE SWAMP, ST. MARYS AND SUWANNEE RIVERS
Proposed 2,400-Acre Titanium Mine Threatens Signature Landscape of Georgia
“Just imagine driving up to an entrance to the swamp and seeing nothing but a barren, parched, and arid dead zone,” wrote a local citizen in the Charlton County Chronicle.
Local citizens consider the full page ad by the miners to be fighting words.
They see the miners can provide no guarantees, so they should leave the Okefenokee Swamp alone, and the rivers that run from it, too.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Waterkeepers
Florida is opposed to the mining Application SAS-2018-00554 as filed, and
Waterkeepers Florida is filing a request with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers:
to require the Applicant to supply all the missing
information identified by Suwannee Riverkeeper, St. Marys
Riverkeeper, and SELC; and
to prepare a full Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) broad enough to cover all the concerns and answer
all the questions raised by the above-named three organizations,
especially those concerns and questions relevant to Florida; and
to hold Public Hearings, including in Florida; and
to answer how the
Corps has or will determine that the Applicant's proposed mine would
not adversely affect the Okefenokee Swamp, the St. Marys River, the
Suwannee River, the Floridan Aquifer, or the State of Florida.
PASSED AND ADOPTED BY WATERKEEPERS FLORIDA, this 23rd day of October
2019.
Since announcing plans to strip mine along the Trail Ridge adjacent
to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Twin Pines Minerals has held
multiple hearings and meetings with political figures and the people
of Charlton County to make their case and ostensibly calm fears
about the miners environmental impact. Unfortunately, the company
continues to display a lack of transparency and misrepresent both
the nature and scale of the proposed mine, as well the costs of
mining next to the swamp.
To truly understand what is at stake, here are the facts....
Does it seem most of the agencies, laws, and rules are rigged for big corporations and against local private property rights, against local fishing, swimming, boating, and hunting, and against organizations like Riverkeepers and Waterkeepers?
One approach to change that is a Bill of Rights for Nature (BOR), to change the legal structure so rivers, swamps, aquifers, lakes, etc. presumptively have rights that corporations have to prove they are not violating.
For example, Suwannee Riverkeeper is helping oppose a company that wants to mine titanium within three miles of the Okefenokee Swamp, which is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Mary’s Rivers, and above the Floridan Aquifer, from which all of south Georgia and north Florida drinks.
It's the miners who are proposing to risk the Okefenokee Swamp for
their private profit, so it's their job to provide proof, despite
what the Twin Pines full page ad in the Charlton County Herald says....
Yet in our Suwannee Riverkeeper comments to the Corps, we have
provided quite a few studies that indicate the risk, including a
Florida Consent Order against the same company for similar mines in
Florida.
Where are these studies Twin Pines touts in the ad? They were not in
Twin Pines' mining application, as we and many others, including
U.S. EPA and GA-EPD have pointed out. When will these miners'
studies be published?
The one Twin Pines hydrogeological study I have been able to find is
in a different application that this miners' ad doesn't mention:...
At 4.32 million gallons per day (mgd) monthly average,
Twin Pines proposes to withdraw more Floridan Aquifer water than
almost anything in the surrounding six southeast Georgia counties:
4.32 times the City of Folkston,
and almost four times the notorious Nestlé withdrawal request
for Ginnie Springs on the Santa Fe River in Florida.
You can still comment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
about the TPM mining application.
Or to GA-EPD about this water withdrawal permit.
“Understanding that groundwater hydrologic effects associated with the Twin Pines project have been a central concern expressed by federal resource/regulatory agencies, NGOs (e.g. the Suwannee Riverkeeper and Georgia River Network), and the public at large, we respectfully submit that the 404/401 permit application as submitted thus far is not complete since it lacks full information and findings regarding hydrogeologic factors on site and post-project effects to hydrogeology/groundwater. We feel that it is inappropriate and premature to close the project comment window when such notable elements of the environmental documentation for this project have not yet been made available. documentation which we at GaEPD judge to be important to our review of this project.”
“Because of the coal plants in Georgia, there's mercury deposition on the surface of the ground for years. If they go stir all that up, that could run in to the swamp,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John
Quarterman. “Why should we risk the Okefenokee, its boating, its
fishing, its birding.”
Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, (Birmingham, Alabama) wants to mine on the
sandy ridge that serves as the eastern edge of the immense bowl-like
depression that retains the water of the swamp. Twin Pines' plan
initially calls for mining on about 4 square miles, but the company
said that it eventually wants to expand to about 19 square miles.
The process to be used is a form of strip-mining and will alter the
soil composition of the area — which, in turn, will hamper
drainage and alter the hydrology.
The Okefenokee Swamp/National Wildlife Refuge/Wilderness is NOT a
suitable location for a project of this nature. It is considered one
of the "Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia", is the largest blackwater
swamp in North America, and has been designated a National Natural
Landmark.
The health of the St. Marys River depends on the integrity of the
Okefenokee Swamp, myriad species rely on its wellbeing, and tourism
in the area is an economic boon to our region. In those respects, it
is very much a matter of concern for this city Council. (The St.
Marys River is born of the River Styx. Note the proximity of the
headwaters to the proposed mining site in the attached image.)
It is the St. Marys EarthKeepers' position that the Twin Pines
mining project presents unnecessary and unacceptable risks, and that
the application should be denied—unless and until a full
Environmental Impact Study indicates that absolutely no harm will
come to the Okefenokee Swamp, its tributaries, species, rivers, and
future. We are joined in our concern by the Georgia Conservancy,
SELC, the Suwannee Riverkeeper, and over 20 other regional and
national environmental organizations.
From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
“We have concerns
that the proposed project poses substantial risks for significant
affect to the environment. Should impacts occur they may not be able
to be reversed, repaired, or mitigated for." "Titanium is a common
mineral, while the Okefenokee is a very uncommon swamp." "This will
likely change its properties and the hydrology of the area.”
Twin Pines Minerals has requested permits to begin mining for
titanium along Trail Ridge, the ancient geologic formation that
forms the eastern boundary of the swamp. This proposal will
recklessly affect over 500 acres of wetlands in a 2,400-acre site,
with an eventual expansion to another 10,000 acres. They propose to
excavate deep soils (up to 50 feet below the surface), significantly
impacting the flow of water in and around the swamp. Such major
alterations likely cannot be reversed, repaired, or mitigated.....
...This permit application is reminiscent of a proposal made by DuPont
over 20 years ago. Outrage over the possible impact to the refuge
resulted in DuPont terminating their plans. Twin Pines is proposing
to try again and the threat to the refuge and the nearby St. Mary's
River are greater than ever.
Possible impacts include changes to the hydrology resulting from a
disruption of the soil and sand ridge next to the refuge.
Application is also being made for use of groundwater for the mining
operation which could further alter the hydrology of the Swamp.
Water is critical to the well being of Okefenokee — lowered or
altered water levels could easily change the unique ecology of the
Swamp. Public use and Wilderness values could be impacted due to the
close proximity of the mining activity. Air quality and loss of
hundreds of acres of wetlands are anticipated.
The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the world's largest blackwater swamp
ecosystems. Miraculously, it has remained almost entirely intact.
The Swamp thus provides unique opportunities for scientific research
on hydrology, plant ecology, fish and amphibian populations, and
other wildlife. Over 700,00 people visit the Refuge each year
generating an estimated 750 jobs in the region and over $64 million
in revenue annually. Recognized worldwide as a Wetland of
International Importance and designated as Wilderness by the U.S.
Congress the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a resource too
precious to be risked for relatively short term gain. All of these
possible impacts need to be thoroughly evaluated before issuing a
permit....
2022-06-16: Dave Williams, Capitol Beat News Service, in
Tribune & Georgian (Serving CAMDEN County, Georgia Since 1894),
Mine faces roadblock at Okefenokee Swamp (WWALS blog post),
ATLANTA—The Alabama company looking to open a titanium mine
near the Okefenokee Swamp is being confronted with an additional
hurdle.
...
“Thanks to everyone who has supported the Okefenokee Swamp and
the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers during this long permitting
process,” said John Quarterman, executive director of Suwannee Riverkeepr with the
Hahira-based environmental advocacy group Suwannee Riverkeeper WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc.
“Special thanks to the Valdosta mayor and council for their
resolution of Sept. 11, 2021, supporting the swamp and opposing the
mine. This recent decision was one of the requests of that
resolution.”
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who visited the swamp last year, has
lobbied the Corps and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to
stop the mine.
“The Okefenokee is a sacred natural resource,” Ossoff
said. “It is a wildlife resource that must be
protected.”
Twin Pines officials have indicated they plan to continue pursuing
the project despite the Corps' decision.
“Thanks to Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff for relentlessly pursuing protection of the Okefenokee Swamp, a one-of-a-kind treasure,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman. “We asked all four candidates in the previous Georgia U.S. Senate race for positions on this. Candidate Ossoff was already supportive then, and Senator Ossoff publicly voiced support May 6, 2021, in Valdosta, when I asked him.”
The miners have already said they will pursue their attempt to strip mine near this invaluable blackwater swamp, the largest east of the Mississippi.
“Thanks to everyone who has supported the Okefenokee Swamp and the Suwannee and St Marys Rivers during this long permitting process,” added Suwannee Riverkeeper. “Special thanks to the Valdosta Mayor and Council for their resolution of September 11, 2021, supporting the Swamp and opposing the mine. This recent decision was one of the requests of that resolution.” https://wwals.net/?p=57073
...Ossoff is asking for a joint effort between both parties and is calling on all
environmental agencies to protect one of Georgia’s most precious natural resources.
"Our state may lose the Okefenokee swamp, this precious natural
resource, unless EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the Army
Corps and Georgia's environmental protection division take action to
stop it," said Ossoff in his call to action, "Overwhelmingly the
people of Georgia and of the local community treasure the Okefenokee
swamp. But I'm sounding the alarm because we need an all hands-on
deck effort now to bring the pressure to bear necessary to save the
Okefenokee swamp from destruction."
Ossoff says he has contacted The Environmental Protection Agency and
the CORPS to see what federal authorities can be put in place to
protect the swamp.
Republicans are backing Georgia state legislation that aims to block
a proposed titanium mine and protect the Okefenokee Swamp, possibly
intervening in one of the country's highest-profile battles over
federal wetlands protections.
If the bill becomes law, it would be an unusual environmental
victory led by Republicans, who generally favor mining over
conservation.
The level of Republican support for an environmental measure in
Georgia is “unprecedented,” said Joshua Marks, an
environmental attorney at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP in
Atlanta.
Five Republicans and one Democrat this week introduced the
legislation, H.B. 1289, which would prohibit the Georgia
Environmental Protection Division from permitting any mine on Trail
Ridge, a natural sandy berm hemming in the eastern side of the
Houston-sized Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge....
..."The mine would sit on top of its Floridan Aquifer which all of south Georgia, most of Florida, bits of South Carolina, and Alabama drink from," said John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper for
WWALS Watershed Coalition.
Today, one of the only licensed titanium miners in the United
States, has vowed not to continue its involvement with the project.
Saying in a public statement,
With respect to mining activities of others, particularly Twin
Pines, Chemours has no role in the proposed Twin Pines project in
Charlton County, Georgia. We have no previous, existing, or future
interest in acquiring, and no plans or intent to acquire, the
project or the company. We have no intention or plans, now and for
the foreseeable future (the next five to ten years), of doing
business with Twin Pines, including buying from the project or any
titanium the project produces. ~The Chemours Company
The unexpected announcement stemmed from a shareholder proposal from
Green Century, hearing the voice of more than 100,000 public
comments pleading for the protection of the swamp.
"We view this decision to disavow any interest in the Twin Pines
project as sending an important signal. The leading company in the
industry is stating that titanium mining next to the refuge is
basically a non starter," said Thomas Peterson, shareholder advocate
for Green Century Capitol Management.
Along with this small win for the swamp protection, Governor Brian
Kemp has also stepped in with a proposed bill protecting the
Okefenokee swamp from any surface mining operations.
If passed, it will still allow for Twin Pines project to be
considered but will refuse any other proposed projects filed after
July 1, 2022.
For more information how you can play a role in protecting the swamp you can visit https://wwals.net/.
Moving the battle to protect the Okefenokee Swamp out of the
regulatory and business realms, a bipartisan group of state
lawmakers on Tuesday filed H.B. 1289 that would put a key protection
into law.
The legislation would “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 the
geological feature known as Trail Ridge between the St. Marys and
Satilla Rivers for future permit applications and
amendments...”
Republican Rep. Darlene Taylor, from Thomasville, sponsored the
bill. Coastal area Reps. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah); Jesse Petrea
(R-Savannah); Don Hogan (R- St. Simons); Al Williams (D-Midway) and
Bill Hitchens (R-Rincon) are co-sponsors as are nine other
Republicans and three other Democrats from across the state.
Taylor said a constituent brought the mining issue to her attention.
She then visited the site, toured the potential mine, and consulted
with a geologist.
“I am not active in the ‘environmental arena,' but like
most people l do care about the Great Outdoors,” Taylor wrote
in an email. “The Okefenokee is special, it is different. It
needs to be valued and preserved.”...
The Georgia General Assembly will consider legislation that will ban
surface mining on Trail Ridge, the geological formation that some
believe makes the Okefenokee Swamp a swamp.
House Bill 1289 would “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 the
geological feature known as Trail Ridge between the St. Marys and
Satilla rivers.”
The legislation is sponsored by House committee chairs concerned
about the potential risks mining poses to the swamp....
...In a statement, Twin Pines President Steve Ingle declined to
“speculate on what may or may not happen in the
legislature.”
“We are proceeding with our plans and will abide by the
environmental regulations that are actually on the books and
applicable to our project as we have done from day one,” Ingle
wrote.
The legislation specifies that the director of EPD “shall not
issue, modify or renew any permit” or permit amendment
submitted after July 1, 2022. The Twin Pines permit application is
already before the EPD, but if the law were passed it would block
amendments or new permits for mining on Trail Ridge between the St.
Mary's and Satilla rivers.
This addresses one chief concern for opponents of the mine. The
initial application is for a smaller demonstration mine, but
opponents worry it would pave the way for a larger, more disruptive
mine in the future.
EPD has said any additional mining operations outside the
demonstration area would require a new permitting process; if
passed, the new bill would block those permits....
...The Army Corps in an October 2020 “jurisdictional
determination” found that the roughly 400-acre area protected
under the Obama administration did not, in fact, contain a WOTUS.
That determination means the developer doesn't have to — and
isn't — pursuing a permit to fill or dredge federally
protected waters, a situation that some experts warn will leave the
company legally vulnerable.
But now political pressure is growing for the agency to revisit that
determination, just as the fight over the reach of the Clean Water
Act heads to the Supreme Court and the Biden administration crafts a
stricter definition....
One of the only American chemical companies to mine titanium has
entered an agreement not to do business with the outfit aiming to
establish a titanium mine next to the Okefenokee Swamp "for the
foreseeable future," according to a press release from the
investment firm that asked for the promise.
Chemours, a company that split off from Dupont and is one of the
only licensed titanium miners in the U.S., agreed not to do business
with Twin Pines Management, LLC, the Alabama company that filed for
permits to open a titanium mine next to the federally protected
Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia. Chemours said its "foreseeable
future" is about five to 10 years.
“With respect to mining activities of others, particularly
Twin Pines, Chemours has no role in the proposed Twin Pines project
in Charlton County, Georgia," a Chemours company statement reads.
"We have no previous, existing, or future interest in acquiring, and
no plans or intent to acquire, the project or the company.”
The reiterated commitment comes months after Green Century Capital
Management, an investment firm, filed a shareholder resolution
against Chemours asking for such an agreement.
Chemours, one of the world's largest producers of titanium dioxide,
says it has no plans “for the foreseeable future” to
purchase titanium from a proposed mine along the edge of the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge....
The company added it has no intention to buy the project from Twin
Pines Minerals, LLC, a Birmingham, Alabama-based company that is
seeking permits to begin mining.
A titanium mine proposed near Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp is becoming
a battleground over whether developers nationwide can trust the Army
Corps of Engineers' word that planned developments won't harm
federally protected streams and wetlands.
The Corps said last week that developers “can no longer
rely” on its official determinations on avoiding protected
wetlands under the now-defunct, Trump-era Navigable Waters
Protection Rule.
Unreliable Trump-era determinations may upend the long-held practice
of giving businesses certainty of relying on Corps determinations
for five years to make “good faith” business decisions,
said Larry Liebesman, a senior adviser at the environmental and
water permitting firm of Dawson & Associates.
A company affected by a rule change could argue in court that it
would be penalized if the Corps revisits the project within the
five-year window, said Liebesman, a former Justice Department
environmental lawyer.
“That could have a real impact on a company that could have a
long-range plan,” he said. “Once you're in the permit
process, it's expensive.”
Corps jurisdictional determinations are crucial to applying Clean
Water Act protections for waterways and ephemeral wetlands. Its
regulations stipulate that determinations are usually good for five
years and are based on whatever definition of Waters of the United
States, or WOTUS, was in effect at the time....
The Trump-era rule was used to determine in 2020 that the Clean
Water Act doesn't apply to wetlands near Okefenokee that Twin Pines
Minerals LLC is targeting for a titanium mine—a claim the Fish
and Wildlife Service and environmentalists dispute following the
rule's vacatur.
The Corps said in a Jan. 5 memo that it won't revisit determinations
made under the Trump-era rule unless new information about those
wetlands comes to light. It also won't “unilaterally”
reopen an approved jurisdictional determination based on the
Trump-era rule, spokesman Doug Garman said....
...Meanwhile, the state's review of a proposed sand mine outside the
edges of the Okefenokee Swamp continues to garner concern. The swamp
was listed as a place in peril for the third consecutive year by the
Georgia Water Coalition on its annual Dirty Dozen list, released
Dec. 14, 2021. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is
evaluating the application from Twin Pines Minerals, LLC to mine
sand from a site outside the southeastern edge of the swamp....
Sen. Ossoff surveyed the wildlife refuge in May and met with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington, D.C. –– U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is continuing his work to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, a sacred natural resource in the state of Georgia.
Sen. Ossoff urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take charge of the review process of the proposed mining project, which the EPA said in 2019 could “cause adverse effects to water quality and the life stages of aquatic life or other wildlife dependent on aquatic systems.”
“Due to the unique and irreplaceable nature of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, its significance to Georgia and the Nation, and recent Federal court rulings invalidating the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, I urge the EPA to exercise its special cases authority to revoke the October 2020 jurisdictional determination,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to the EPA. “By bringing this project back within Federal review, the EPA will ensure that the Okefenokee Refuge receives the protection it deserves.”
This marks the next step in Sen. Ossoff’s continued efforts to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
In April, he joined Senator Reverend Warnock to call for a rigorous assessment of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed mining development. Sen. Ossoff surveyed the swamp back in May and met with U.S. Fish & Wildlife officials who oversee the land.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s letter to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
...As the agencies' actions are governed by the regulatory definition at the time of the action, permit decisions made prior to the court's decision that relied on a NWPR AJD will not be reconsidered in response to the NWPR vacatur. Permit decisions may be modified, suspended, or revoked per 33 C.F.R. § 325.7 where the regulatory criteria are met. The Corps will not rely on an AJD issued under the NWPR (a “NWPR AJD”) in making a new permit decision. The Corps will make new permit decisions pursuant to the currently applicable regulatory regime (i.e., the pre-2015 regulatory regime). Therefore, for any currently pending permit action that relies on a NWPR AJD, or for any future permit application received that intends to rely on a NWPR AJD for purposes of permit processing, the Corps will discuss with the applicant, as detailed in RGL 16-01, whether the applicant would like to receive a new AJD completed under the pre-2015 regulatory regime to continue their permit processing or whether the applicant would like to proceed in reliance on a preliminary JD or no JD whatsoever.
Dec. 9—DuPont abandoned plans more than two decades ago to
mine near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge after scientists
expressed concerns that it could drain the swamp — literally.
Heavy minerals including titanium are mined by digging a pit,
sifting the minerals from the sandy soil and backfilling the pit
with the sifted soil as crews dig through the mining site.
Scientists believed the stratified layers of soil are what keeps
water in the basin-like swamp and backfilling the mixed layers could
allow water to leak out of the swamp, lowering water levels.
Opponents are using the same argument now as Twin Pines Minerals
continues its efforts to get a permit to mine near the swamp. More
than 40 scientists are questioning the research Twin Pines claims
shows that mining near the swamp will have no negative impacts.
"As members of the scientific community, we are in no position to
opine on the ultimate question — whether the mine is in the
best interests to the people of Georgia," the scientists wrote in an
open letter. "However, we are sufficiently familiar with the
environmental complexities of the region, including the water system
and the geology, that we are compelled to voice our concerns about
the environmental impacts of this mine."
The argument two decades ago and today is there has never been a
comprehensive study to show how much of an impact, if any,
disturbing the layered soil would have on the refuge....
More than 40 scientists are speaking out against a plan to mine
heavy minerals near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The
state Environmental Protection Division is considering permits to
allow the mine.
The controversial mining project could bring much-needed jobs to
rural Southeast Georgia. But its many opponents say the mine would
harm the beloved swamp.
The mining company Twin Pines has touted a study it funded showing
minimal impacts to the Okefenokee, but dozens of scientists
questioned that research in an open letter....
VALDOSTA — An Alabama-based mining concern said a resolution
by Valdosta's city council won't stop them from starting a
controversial South Georgia mining project.
“The Valdosta City Council's resolution has no impact on our
plans whatsoever,” said Steve Ingle, president of Twin Pines
Minerals, in a statement.
Valdosta City Council voted Nov. 11 to oppose Twin Pines' plans to
start a mining project near the Okefenokee Swamp, about 75 miles
from Valdosta. The vote was....
The most populous
city in the Suwannee River Basin unanimously passed a resolution
opposing the proposed Twin Pines Minerals (TPM) strip mine or any
others within ten miles of the Okefenokee Swamp.
"This is a national resource that Valdostans and surrounding cities
and counties have enjoyed for a long time," said Valdosta Mayor
Scott James Matheson. "Anything that would threaten it: I would hope
this Council would come out in support of its citizens, and the
activities that this natural resource presents to all of us."
"If the state of Georgia will risk the Okefenokee, what won't they risk?" said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman. "Many thanks to Valdosta Mayor and Council for helping stop this threat to the Okefenokee Swamp, a gem of an ecosystem that supports 700 jobs and is the headwaters of the Suwannee River. You can also ask the state to stop this mine:"
https://wwals.net/?p=55092
During Ossoff's visit, Suwannee Riverkeeper John Quarterman asked
about the proposed heavy mineral sands mine near the Okefenokee
National Wildlife Refuge.
This refuge is the largest east of the Mississippi and carries a
hefty amount of wildlife biodiversity. The mine could potentially
impact the refuge's native species, basin hydrology and overall
integrity.
An environmental review process was attempted but has since been
encumbered because of a change in interpretation of the Army Corps
of Engineers' jurisdiction, according to a U.S. Senate letter to the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's principal deputy director, Martha
Williams.
Ossoff said he and fellow Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock have already
asked the USFWS to “engage and support” the
Environmental Protection Division's permit review of the mine.
“We will be monitoring closely this process and urging federal
participation in this process to ensure that proposed commercial
developments don't damage the refuge and swamp,” Ossoff said.
A congressman in Florida wants to make sure any proposal submitted
for mining swampland his state shares with Georgia receive proper
review.
U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, D-Fla., sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers asking it for an environmental impact statement that
evaluates projects with the potential to “significantly affect
the quality of the human environment.”
Twin Pines Minerals withdrew a permit request to mine titanium and
other heavy minerals near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
But the Alabama-based company has plans to resubmit a new plan to
the Army Corps of Engineers, and that has generated new concerns,
including across the Georgia border into North Florida.
Lawson's district runs along the Georgia border and includes parts
of Osceola National Forest and Osceola Wildlife Management Area.
“It is crucial that the corps require an environmental impact
statement under the National Environmental Policy Act,” he
said in his letter. “Furthermore, the corps should reject the
permit application if it appears the mine will harm the environment....
Opponents say mining isn't worth the risk because of the potential
harm to the refuge and local economy. The refuge attracts an
estimated 600,000 visitors a year, creating more than 700 jobs and
generating $64 million in economic impact to the surrounding region.
In his letter, Lawson said the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and
the Environmental Protection Agency have also expressed concerns
about how mining could negatively impact the 438,000-acre wildlife
refuge.
He said the public has yet to see key information concerning the
project because Twin Pines Minerals has “failed to produce
multiple hydrological studies” to support claims that mining
will have minimal impacts on the swamp and surrounding areas.
“My constituents depend on a healthy Okefenokee Swamp, and it
is unacceptable that such little consideration has been given to how
the project will affect Florida's resources,” he said.
It was an honor to arrange a flight for his staff to see this firsthand. Congratulations to Suwannee Riverkeeper and all of our partners who work tirelessly to protect this fragile and beautiful ecosystem for future generations!
ATLANTA—A state senator from coastal Georgia is calling for a
closer examination of the potential impacts of a planned titanium
mine near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
In a letter dated Jan. 27, Sen. William Ligon, R-Brunswick,
suggested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conduct more studies on
how mining a 12,000-acre site south of the refuge in Charlton County
and post-mine restoration would alter surface water and groundwater
flows before awarding a permit to Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals.
“Science must guide decisions that affect our swamp and the
national wildlife refuge,” Ligon wrote in the letter to Col.
Daniel Hibner from the Corps' Savannah district. “These
studies ... must demonstrate, beyond a reasonable doubt, that no
harm will come to the swamp as a result of Twin Pines' mining
operations. Our state cannot risk lasting damage to the national
treasure that is the Okefenokee Swamp.”
Ligon noted in the letter that the Okefenokee National Wildlife
Refuge draws more than 600,000 visitors each year. The Okefenokee is
the largest blackwater swamp in North America....
Opposition is mounting against the proposed titanium mine by Twin
Pines Minerals near the south end of the Okefenokee National
Wildlife Refuge.
State Sen. William Ligon, R-White Oak, has joined more than 25
regional, state and national organizations to express concerns about
the proposed mining project.
“The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge was designated in 1937 and
enjoys over 600,000 visitors annually,” Ligon said in his
letter. “I join more than 20,000 citizens, businesses and
organizations, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and Georgia Environmental
Protection Division to express my concern for the long-term impacts
that may result from the proposed mine.”...
He suggested stakeholders meet to consider ways to protect the
long-term integrity of the swamp. DuPont abandoned plans to mine
titanium near the refuge about two decades ago because of similar
concerns about the environmental impacts to the swamp.
“I look forward to working with my fellow Georgians, federal
officials, and state/federal management agencies to find a way to
conserve the integrity of the Okefenokee Swamp and to find land use
investments that are compatible with the nature-based economy of
Southeast Georgia.”
Other local opposition includes the Camden County Joint Development
Authority, the cities of Fernandina Beach, Kingsland, St. Marys and
Woodbine.
Alex Kearns, chair of St. Marys EarthKeepers said her organization
and other environmental groups are grateful for the growing
opposition to what she describes as an “ill-conceived
project.”
“Hopefully, their letters, along with the comments from
Senator Ligon, statements from government agencies, and the emails
and calls from thousands of citizens will help to persuade the USACE
to do the right thing and deny Twin Pines' permit,” Kearns
said.
VALDOSTA — More than two dozen organizations — local,
regional, statewide in Florida and Georgia, national, and
international — have expressed opposition to the titanium mine
that would be far too close to the Okefenokee Swamp. The Okefenokee
National Wildlife Refuge provides boating, birding, fishing and
hunting nearby to the tune of more than $60 million a year and more
than 700 jobs, making it the NWR of most economic benefit to Georgia
and Florida. The Okefenokee Swamp is a unique ecological treasure,
and is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers. The
burden of proof is on the miners, and they have not met it.
Interested individuals can still file a comment with the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers. If the Corps actually issues a permit, which
they may in the next few weeks, anything filed can be used in any
ensuing lawsuit.
Exactly how many organizations oppose that strip mine is hard to
say, since some, such as Waterkeepers Florida, represent others all
over a state, and Waterkeeper Alliance has more than 350 member
organizations worldwide. The Georgia Water Coalition put the
Okefenokee Swamp on its 2019 Dirty Dozen worst threats to Georgia's
waters because of this proposed mine, and GWC has more than 250
partner organizations. Southwings volunteer pilots have flown
several times over the mine site, around the Okefenokee Swamp, and
down to where Twin Pines Minerals is already under a Florida Consent
Order along with Chemours for violations at four titanium strip
mines in north Florida. Citizens Against Phosphate Mines obtained
that Florida Consent Order.
Suwannee Riverkeeper, St. Marys Earthkeepers, Sierra Club, Defenders
of Wildlife, Center for Biological Diversity, Southern Environmental
Law Center (SELC), Georgia River Network, Georgia Conservancy,
Environment Georgia, One Hundred Miles, Glynn Environmental
Coalition, Wayne Morgan Artistry, St. Marys Riverkeeper, Satilla
Riverkeeper, Flint Riverkeeper, Savannah Riverkeeper, Ogeechee
Riverkeeper, Waterkeepers Florida, Our Santa Fe River, Dogwood
Alliance, Georgia Women and those who stand with us, Friends of
Georgia State Parks, National Parks Conservation Association,
National Wildlife Refuge Association, The Nature Conservancey, The
Wilderness Society, Wilderness Watch, Waterkeeper Alliance, Georgia
Water Coalition, Citizens Against Phosphate Mines, and Southwings
have all been invaluable.
Plus both U.S. EPA and Georgia EPD filed comments saying the miners'
application was missing much key information. GA-EPD even explicitly
cited Suwannee Riverkeeper's comments. Even the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, which operates the Okefenokee NWR, filed comments
about the ecological and economic value of the Swamp and the
application's lack of information.
The St. Marys River has been named to the Georgia Water Coalition's
Dirty Dozen for 2019 that highlights the “polities, policies
and pollution problems” that pose the greatest threat to the state's
water quality, not the most polluted sites, according to the
coalition....
Within a few miles of Okefenokee swamp in Charlton County, a titanium
mining operation threatens to destroy 587 acres of
wetlands and 1.4 miles of streams, affect tourism and
possibly the Florida[n] aquifer.
“The operation poses a threat to the hydrology the swamp and
the $60-million-a-year tourist economy the swamp supports,”
the coalition shared.
A proposed mine near the Okefenokee Swamp and the cleanup of a
wrecked cargo ship carrying more than 4,000 cars are among the
environmental concerns flagged in a new report....
Newcomers to the list include a proposed titanium mine near the Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia that the group says would destroy wetlands and threaten the ground and surface water in the swamp.
Four southeast waterways were named in this years report. Terry Creek, the St. Simons Sound, the Okefenokee Swamp and St. Mary's River are all named in the latest report....
Another waterway listed is the Okefenokee Swamp, which the GWC says
"the documents Twin Pines submitted to federal and state regulators
are sorely lacking in information about how much ground and surface
water the mine will use as and how the mining will impact the
hydrology of the area as the company digs 5,000 square-foot ditches
to an average depth of 50 feet in pursuit of the mineral."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told the Corps,
“there is potential for this project as proposed to cause
adverse effects to water quality andwildlife dependent on aquatic
systems.”
Georgia's Environmental Protection Division (EPD) wrote, “We
feel it is inappropriate and premature to close the project comment
window when such notable elements of the environmental documentation
for this project have not yet been made available.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expressed concerns about the
mining taking place in habitat for the federally protected indigo
snake and gopher tortoise. If permits are approved by the Corps and
EPD, it will open 2,424 acres to mining in the near term, but Twin
Pines' long-range plans call for mining some 12,000 acres, according
to the GWC.
In South Georgia, the Okefenokee Swamp is once again threatened by a
proposed titanium mine. In the late 1990s a similar proposal was
soundly defeated, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EPD are
now considering approval of environmental permits that will allow an
Alabama-based company to destroy wetlands and streams near the
Okefenokee. The operation poses a threat to the hydrology of the
swamp and the $60 million-a-year tourist economy the swamp supports.
The Army Corps of Engineers gave people a chance to comment on the
proposal. Last week, that comment period ended. According to their
website, more than 20,000 comments were made about mining, and it
wasn't just residents or concerned citizens. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency weighed in on the proposal.
In part, the letter to the Army Corps of Engineers read,
“...the EPA believes that there is potential for this project
as proposed to cause adverse effects to water quality and the life
stages of aquatic life or other wildlife dependent on aquatic
systems.”
The executive director of Georgia River Network says this was a step
in the right direction for the environment.
“For EPA to come out and stand strong is just thrilling," Rena
Peck Stricker said. “Georgia River Network and other groups,
we feel like we're in the eye of the storm right now, and it's
important to keep the pressure and keep the public engaged, because,
in the end, it's not an environmental impact statement that will
stop a project that could be harmful to the environment to people
and wildlife. It's public outcry.”...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia
Environmental Protection Division made their written comments in
response to a Clean Water Act permit application the company filed
with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah.
“Based on the limited available information, the applicant has
not demonstrated that the proposed project will not result in
significant degradation, including individual or cumulative effects
to fish and wildlife; ecosystem diversity, productivity and
stability; and recreational, aesthetic and economic values,”
the EPA stated in a three-page comment from the water division
director for Region 4 based in Atlanta. “Excavation and
reclamation of the proposed mine area may alter local or regional
groundwater hydrology. Changes in water table elevations and the
rate and direction of shallow ground water movements as a result of
mining and reclamation may alter hydrologic conditions in the
Okefenokee NWR.”
As a result, “the EPA finds that this project, as proposed,
may result in substantial and unacceptable impacts to aquatic
resources of national importance...”
In its comment, the Georgia EPD concurred with EPA, saying that the
documentation for this project has “not yet been prepared,
completed and distributed.” The permit application cites a
series of hydrogeologic reports that are not yet completed.
“Understanding that groundwater hydrologic effects associated with the Twin Pines project have been a central concern expressed by federal resource/regulatory agencies, NGOs (e.g. the Suwannee Riverkeeper and Georgia River Network), and the public at large, we respectfully submit that the (Clean Water Act) permit application as submitted thus far is not complete since it lacks full information and findings regarding hydrogeologic factors on site and post-project effects to hydrogeology/groundwater,” states the EPD's Sept. 12 comment from its wetlands manager. It concludes it is “inappropriate and premature” to close the comment window.
As the EPD noted, many individuals and environmental groups called
for more information to evaluate the proposal. Jessica Morehead,
interim director of the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter, reiterated that
call in light of the agencies' letters.
“We urge the Corps to deny this permit application, or at the
very least, force Twin Pines to submit a full application, use
responsible scientists to prepare an environmental impact statement,
and give the public the opportunity to review all this information
and make their voices heard,” she wrote in an email.
“The Corps cannot rush this decision. The Okefenokee is one of
the most important natural habitats in the world and it must not be
put at risk.”
The letter from the Southern Environmental Law Center and Defenders
of Wildlife and other conservation groups criticizes Twin Pines for
not releasing more details about how mining would impact the
Okefenoke and its surrounding ecosystem.
The letter is co-signed by 14 other conservation organizations
including the Sierra Club, Environment Georgia, National Wildlife
Refuge Association, Wilderness Society and Wilderness Watch, as well
as the statewide riverkeeper organization and some of its chapters.
That's not the way it works. The nine Riverkeepers of Georgia,
and all Waterkeepers worldwide, are members of the Waterkeeper Alliance.
Those of us in Georgia happen to also be members of Georgia River Network. -jsq
Given what is already known, Twin Pines has not and cannot show that
the proposed project will not have an unacceptable impact,”
said Bill Sapp, SELC senior attorney, in an email to the Georgia
Recorder last week. “If the Corps is not willing to do that,
it should, at a minimum require Twin Pines to do an environmental
impact statement to ensure that very real risks to one of the
world's most unique ecosystems are not overlooked.”
“Twin Pines has failed to provide critical information and,
from the information it has provided, we can predict a train wreck
of adverse effects,” says Senior Attorney Bill Sapp....
Says Senior Attorney Megan Huynh, “If the Corps is not willing
to deny the permit, it should, at the very minimum, require Twin
Pines to do an Environmental Impact Statement to ensure that the
very real risks to one of the world's most unique ecosystems are not
overlooked.”
Michael Lusk manages the refuge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. He said that's what people are looking for: “One of
the reasons for sure that people come to visit the Okefenokee is
because it's so big and wild, and quiet and dark. All those
wonderful things that you just can't get many places anymore.”
Three times last week, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman
helped gather locals and organizations across Georgia, north
Florida, and beyond to voice concerns about a proposed strip mine
alongside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Southern
Georgia, home to the Okefenokee Swamp.
Twin Pines Minerals, LLC (TPM), an Alabama-based mining company,
applied for permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the
Georgia Department of Environmental Protection to mine for titanium
near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which is the
headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers in Southern Georgia.
The Suwannee flows south through Florida to the Gulf of Mexico, and
the St. Marys becomes the border between Georgia and Florida on its
way to the Atlantic.
John was quoted in the first news story about the mine, by Emily
Jones of Georgia Public Broadcasting on July 15, “The most
obvious thing that we really need is a real environmental impact
statement. All we have so far is, ‘this is what the applicant
said.'”
John S. Quarterman, before 2019-08-13 TPM meeting. L-r: Mark Lyons of Citizens Against Phosphate Mining, Alice Keyes of One Hundred Miles, Hilda Gilchrist of Our Santa Fe River (OSFR), Jim Tatum of OSFR and WWALS, Rena Peck Stricker of Georgia River Network, Mike Roth and Kristin Rubin of OSFR and WWALS, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper, Merillee Malwitz-Jipson of OSFR and WWALS.
...Rena Stricker, executive director of the Georgia River Network, was
among the attendees of last week's meetings who said they are
worried that the swamp could be drained by the mining.
“I'm very concerned that Trail Ridge, which serves as a dam
for the Okefenokee, will be compromised so that the Okefenokee
(swamp) itself could be drained,” said Rena Stricker,
executive director of the Georgia River Network and one of the
protesters Tuesday night
The company contends Trail Ridge is instead a hydraulic barrier to
groundwater flow. At the ridge's high point the water flows east to
the swamp and west to the St. Marys River.
So is Trail Ridge a natural dam to the swamp?
“It's not necessarily a dam,” said Fredrick Rich, a
recently retired geology professor at Georgia Southern University.
“The swamp would probably be there with or without Trail Ridge
but the ridge almost certainly enhances the capability of the
swamp's water supply to stay within the basin. “Any attempt to
cut through Trail Ridge would certainly be destructive of the
swamp,” he said....
The following description is by Mark Lyons, veteran and experienced mine opponent:
This event was like a 5th grade science fair except that 5th grade
teachers probably would have had better answers than we received
yesterday. I've never heard so many— probably, maybe, could,
possibly, might, I'm not sure, you need to ask so ‘n so.
Nothing like consulting firm employees who sit in an office all day
and have never mined answering ‘mining’ questions!
We could add an “I don't know,” answer we got several
times.
“We have serious concerns about Twin Pines Minerals' plans for
a proposed mine in such close proximity to the Okefenokee Swamp, one
of Georgia's most important natural treasures,” said Senior
Attorney Bill Sapp. “Before moving forward with this
application, it is critically important that Twin Pines, the Corps,
and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division conduct more
thorough studies to ensure that any mining activities would not
result in harm to this special, world-renowned place.”
The proposal reminds many area residents of a similar plan from 20
years ago by DuPont Co. to put in a 38,000-acre mine along Trail
Ridge. That plan generated so much public opposition that DuPont
dropped the idea and donated about half of the proposed mine site to
preservation.
Twin Pines has hired consultants who say they've studied the
company's current plans and find it “environmentally
responsible,” but those reports have not been made available
to the Corps or the public at this time.
One of the actions SELC will be urging is that the Corps must demand
a full Environmental Impact Statement for this project before even
considering issuing a permit, as an independent, scientific review
is a critical first step in ensuring there is no irrevocable harm to
one of Georgia's most incredible environmental wonders.
Charlton County Commission votes to support mining near the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge
EMILY JONES, GPB
The Charlton County Commission Thursday evening unanimously voted to
support the proposal to mine for heavy minerals near the Okefenokee
National Wildlife Refuge.
Charlton County Commissioners voted to support mining near the
Okefenokee. The proclamation cited economic benefits to the county,
including tax revenue and the 150 jobs promised in the permit
application from Twin Pines Minerals.
It did note the project is still subject to approval by "any other
authority having jurisdiction." That includes the Army Corps of
Engineers....
In a letter
sent before the county commission meeting, Suwan[n]ee
Riverkeeper John Quarterman called the commission's vote
"premature."
"While I understand that everyone wants jobs, I respectfully submit
that far too many things are still unknown," Quarterman wrote.
Public comments at the meeting, following the vote, echoed that
sentiment.
Only residents of Charlton County were allowed to speak, while
others could submit comments on notecards. County officials said
that was because of the large number of people present, in the
interest of time and to gauge how many in attendance were county
residents. All the seats in the commission meeting room were full,
with several people standing in the back.
Resident Teresa Crawford grew emotional during her comments,
comparing the possible economic benefits of the mine to those of the
existing wildlife refuge.
"The economic impact of the Okefenokee swamp — we have a jewel
out there," she said, noting that people from other states and other
countries visit the refuge. "If it gets destroyed, that economic
impact is gone."
Chief Redhawk of the Cherokee of Georgia and his assistant, Jane
Winkler, also spoke. They questioned how many of the promised jobs
would be local and reiterated the concern that mining could harm the
swamp.
After the meeting, Commissioner Drew Jones said he would not support
a project that would devastate the Okefenokee. But he said Twin
Pines has plans for environmental protections — and Charlton
County needs well-paying jobs.
"In this community, we've got a prison, we've got a landfill, as far
as employers," Jones said. "The Board of Education employs 200,
ballpark pay $18 an hour. So these mines, they can improve quality
of life."
...The Georgia Conservancy is asking the Army Corps to hold a public
hearing on the permit application. The federal agency has agreed to
extend the public comment period on the project an additional 30
days, from Aug. 13 to Sept. 12.
2019-08-14:
Mary Landers, SavannahNow, 14 August 2019,
Company explains its Okefenokee mining plans.
Includes picture of Mark Lyons' "Welcome to the Dog and Pony Show" t-shirt,
and a claim by Twin Pines Consultant Robert Holt, a hydrogeologist at the University of Mississippi:
“We plan to publish our results in peer reviewed journals and that’s the gold standard in science.”
That's nice. Why don't they withdraw their mining application until that study is published? -jsq
FOLKSTON, Ga. — A titanium deposit is at the center of a major
debate in southeast Georgia.
The site borders a national wildlife refuge and it's where a company
wants to put a mine. Over a hundred people packed a
question-and-answer meeting Tuesday hosted by that company.
“This place is priceless and it's irreplaceable,”
Christian Hunt, Southeast Program Associate at Defenders of Wildlife
said.
Just outside the boundary of the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge is where
Twin Pines, an Alabama mining company wants to set up shop, digging
for a resource that could be worth a lot of money.
Titanium dioxide — a heavy metal used to make white pigment
— is abundant in the sands. Locals and environmentalists are
concerned.
“At risk is a wetland of global importance," Hunt said. "This
is a fully functional, vibrant ecosystem.”
Hunt was among those who attended Tuesday night's public meeting
with mining representatives.
A statement from the company says it has identified species that
could be affected where a habitat was identified, a targeted survey
was conducted.
“My primary conclusion that I drew from last night is that
there are too many unknowns,” Hunt said.
The topic has also drawn the attention of U.S. Representative Earl
"Buddy" Carter, who said his staff is still sorting through the
facts.
“How do you balance business with the environment and that's
very difficult sometimes," Carter said. "This has been tried before
and it's failed, but perhaps there is new technology out there that
would now make it safer."....
...A biologist, Cindy House-Pearson, explained how the mining process
will include restoring wetlands and plant life after an area has
been mined. The process includes digging a pit about 100 feet wide
and 500 feet long. The depth dug will be anywhere from 10 to 70
feet.
House-Pearson said there is little wildlife, including endangered
red cockaded woodpeckers in the area, which burned in a wildfire
several years ago.
“There's not really a whole lot out there right now,”
she said.
Dirk Stevenson, another consultant, said gopher tortoises, which are
considered threatened by the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources, will be relocated.
“We will follow the guidance and directions of the DNR,”
he said.
Other species such as snakes, amphibians and reptiles will likely
move once heavy equipment is close by....
And where will those snakes, amphibians, and reptiles move to?
Alex Kearns, chair of the St. Marys EarthKeepers, asked about
impacts to local hunt clubs and Native American artifacts in the
area.
“They're not able to answer some of the hardest
questions,” she said. “I have real concerns about Native
American artifacts.”
Kearns also called for an independent environmental study before
mining is approved.
Rena Peck Stricker, executive director of the Georgia River Network,
traveled from her Atlanta office to attend the meeting.
She is among those who believe Trail Ridge, a geological formation
that stretches along the eastern edge of the refuge, acts as a dam
to keep the Okefenokee as a swamp.
Stricker said she is not surprised Twin Pines is making the second
attempt in two decades to mine near the swamp, which attracts an
estimated 600,000 visitors a year at all the entrances and Stephen
Foster State Park.
“I think they feel like the technology is different
now,” she said. “I'm still concerned about the Trail
Ridge impacts.”
Hydrogeologist Bob Holt discusses how a proposed mine would affect underground water near the Okefenokee.
EMILY JONES / GPB NEWS
...hydrogeologist Bob Holt, who is consulting for Twin Pines.
"The thing that I'm committed to doing is to make sure that the
model that I build is constructed thoughtfully, that good scientific
practice is applied, and that it's not rushed to meet a deadline,"
he said.
Holt expects the detailed computer model will back up his
preliminary finding that the new methods they use will have a
minimal impact.
But many were not convinced. Joanna Jacobs has roots in the area and
traveled from Atlanta to Folkston for the meeting. She was concerned
that the science on the project isn't ready yet.
"I'm not a fearmongerer,” Jacobs said. “I'm just highly
concerned about an unproven method coming into a natural habitat
that we can't put back."
Company head Steven Ingle said the finished data will be available
before the public comment period ends Sept. 12.
...
The Commerce Department initiated in March an investigation into
whether national security is threatened by the “quantity or
circumstances” of the import of one stage of the material,
called titanium sponge, according to a Commerce Department
statement. The Department of Defense supports the investigation.
This is the at least the second such investigation into titanium
imports in recent years. both investigations were initiated after
complaints were filed by
Titanium Metals Corp.
In 2017, the U.S. International Trade Commission
voted to end
a complaint filed by TMC over titanium imports. That complaint
contended two countries were dumping material into the United
States, with Kazakhstan allegedly subsidizing prices of titanium
exported to the U.S. by Japan and Kazakhstan....
More in the article about most comments have been about titanium for paint,
but that's not its only use, and there is already titanium importing,
including through Savannah.
...According to the study, the refuge saw the second-most visitors,
supported the second-highest number of jobs and contributed the
second-most amount of money to its local economy of all national
wildlife refuges in Florida, after Okefenokee National Wildlife
Refuge, which spans parts of northern Florida and southern Georgia....
The Army Corps of Engineers is extending the deadline for public
comments on a proposal to mine for minerals near the Okefenokee
National Wildlife Refuge.
The new deadline is Sept. 12, an additional 30 days from the
original deadline of Aug. 13.
Environmental groups were calling for the deadline extension.
The St. Marys EarthKeepers, an environmental group focused on
coastal Georgia, posted a rally cry on their public Facebook page
regarding the proposed Twin Pines Minerals strip mine. Alex Kearns,
with the St. Marys EarthKeepers, called it “a project that
threatens the very existence of the Okefenokee swamp and the St.
Marys River.”
The Charlton County Commission's recent approval of mining near the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Folkston is a misguided
— and potentially dangerous — idea.
The Okefenokee Refuge, which consists of approximately 440,000
acres, was originally established in 1936 and has the distinction of
being one of the world's largest intact freshwater ecosystems.
Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals LLC has filed a permit application
with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to mine 16,000 acres next to
the Okefenokee for titanium, zircon and other minerals.
Area residents with long memories know that we've been down this
road before. About 20 years ago, DuPont floated a proposal to mine
38,000 acres along Trail Ridge on the doorstep of the Okefenokee.
After a major public outcry and two years of talks, DuPont abandoned
efforts.
At numerous public meetings, covered extensively at the time by this
newspaper, opponents drove home their point: mining threatens the
underlying hydrology of the region along with the ecotourism that
attracts 600,000 visitors to the area each year.
After nearly two years, none of the experts DuPont presented could
say with absolute certainty that mining wouldn't harm the swamp. In
the end, DuPont dropped its plans and donated 16,000 acres of land
it had purchased for mining to preservationists.
Mining near Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge was a bad idea 20
years ago. And it's still a bad idea now....
The burden of proof is still on the miners to show their mine would
not damage the Swamp or the Rivers, and they have not met that
burden.
U.S. EPA still finds that “the proposed project will have a
substantial and unacceptable impact on aquatic resources of national
importance.”
That's about “the permit application submitted by Twin Pines
Minerals, LLC” for a titanium strip mine. “The proposed
2,414-acre mine area lies in proximity to the Okefenokee National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and the potential secondary effects of the
mine on the NWR have not been demonstrated by the permit
applicant.”
This is the second letter EPA has sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saying the mining application is deficient. We obtained a copy through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The entire letter is here:
http://wwals.net/?p=50931.
You, too, can still comment to the USACE, and all comments they
receive before the Corps announces a decision can be used in any
potential lawsuits. The addresses are:...
We, the members of the Charlton County Development Authority, wish
to reiterate our support for the mining project proposed by Twin
Pines Minerals. We have considered the economic and environmental
aspects of the plan very carefully and believe it is going to be a
project of which we can all be proud and from which we will all
benefit.
The information that has spread is misleading, and there are many
examples, such as the claim that Twin Pines plans to mine 12,000
acres. The current permit request is for 2,400 acres, but we
understand that the mining footprint has recently been reduced from
1,200 acres to about 900. There have been various claims that mining
will be conducted “on the edge” of the swamp and others
that say it will be only a half-mile away. The fact is the nearest
point in the mining area to the swamp is 2.7 miles away.
Opponents have noted the economic benefits of the Okefenokee and its
importance to our community, and we wholeheartedly agree! We would
not support anything that would jeopardize this national treasure.
It is part of who we are and is unquestionably the centerpiece of
Charlton County's environment. The county is always looking for ways
to improve our employment base and provide revenue sources. The Twin
Pines project would fill a great need.
We trust the experts at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ensure
the mining project is safe and protective of the Okefenokee. They
will rely on scientific evidence and facts to determine if the
project should be permitted, not hearsay and speculation.
We look forward to their favorable decision and wish our fellow
citizens happy holidays and look forward to a very prosperous 2020.
The City of Folkston and Charlton County Development Authority
We are drawing near the time when the US Army Corps of Engineers
will render a decision regarding Twin Pines LLC's application to
create a titanium mine next to the Okefenokee National Wildlife
Refuge. Already, three Georgia Mayors (St. Marys, Woodbine, and
Kingsland) and the Mayor of the City of Fernandina Beach, FL, have
issued strongly-worded Letters of Concern.
The proposed mine will be in Charlton County, so you might ask why
it is any of Camden or Nassau County's business. The answer: Because
the St. Marys River is born in the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp,
the river formed our history and shapes our culture, its wellbeing
is fundamentally linked to our own, and we (like the people of
Charlton County) benefit economically from the over 600,000 annual
visitors to the Swamp. So it is very much our business to preserve
the health of the Okefenokee, the St. Marys River, and (of course)
the Floridan Aquifer.
You may be familiar with Aesops' tale about “killing the goose
that lays the golden eggs.” It illustrates the short-sighted
destruction of a valuable resource for little to no long-term
benefit. To use another analogy, Twin Pines holds out the carrot of
“jobs, jobs, jobs” for Charlton County citizens and yet
the estimated number of positions changes each time we ask; from
300-400 at the public “show” sponsored by the company to
less than half that in their actual USACE application.
And what of the money spent in our areas every year by those who
visit the legendary Okefenokee: 600,000 people needing food, tours,
lodging, gas, local attractions and more? That spending provides
local communities with 753 jobs, $17.2 million in employee income,
$5.4 million in total tax revenue, and $64.7 million in economic
output annually (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Banking on Nature
Report, May 2019). A titanium mine on the doorstep of the Swamp
threatens all of that — and more.
There is so very much for all of us to lose — and no one gains
in the long run except Twin Pines, an inexperienced mining company
from Alabama.
When questioned about the actual number of potential jobs for
Charlton County residents, the mining process, the hydrology, and
the possible devastation to the Okefenokee Swamp, Twin Pines
president, Steve Ingle, took out a full-page ad in your newspaper
saying, with stunning arrogance, “Frankly, I'm tired of
talk.”
Stop for a moment and think about this, Charlton County friends:
Over 25 national, state, and local environmental organizations
oppose the project. Four Mayors from neighboring counties are deeply
concerned about the project. You have been given no firm facts or
guarantees about the project. A valuable resource could be
irreparably damaged by the project.
So maybe, just maybe, the project is simply — wrong.
Hello, Charlton County. I am one of your downstream neighbors on the
St. Marys River. We have heard that a mining company named Twin
Pines Minerals LLC wants to dig up nearly 19 square miles of Trail
Ridge next to the Okefenokee Swamp to make more paint for all of us.
Now paint is an important thing, and I'm all for it, but the
Okefenokee is world famous. Among other things, it is one of the
Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia, it is a National Natural Landmark,
it is the largest blackwater swamp in North America, and it has the
distinction of being named a Wetland of International Importance and
a tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The 438,000-acre Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Okefenokee
Wilderness has brought you (and us, your downstream neighbor)
600,000 visitors a year, generating $64 million in local economic
output and supports over 700 local jobs. You don't have to do a
thing, but protect it. It has been there for more than 6,000 years
and should maintain itself nicely for several thousand more.
But the paint-minded folks want to dredge up about an acre a day,
down to 70 feet, withdraw up to 4 million gallons of water daily
from the imperiled Floridan aquifer, (Charlton County currently
withdraws only about 1.2 mgd), threaten endangered species,
discharge sediments and pollutants into the St. Marys River (which
I, your downstream neighbor, will get), and risk damaging beyond
repair your greatest asset. Twin Pines has claimed they won't harm
anything and will return everything to its former pristine status,
but they have not shown proof they know how to do that. In fact,
their president, Steve Ingles, says it's our job to prove they will
harm the environment.
What will you get in return for this risk? Apparently some 150
temporary jobs (at maximum output) over the course of 30 years.
That's it. That's all they're offering. In the words of former
Secretary of the interior Bruce Babbitt, “Titanium is a common
mineral, while the Okefenokee is a very uncommon swamp.” Do
you really want to risk that?
Many thanks to Christian Hunt for so clearly laying out the real
facts about Twin Pines LLC's proposal to create a titanium mine on
the doorstep of the Okefenokee Swamp. I read the many reports from
Twin Pines “open house”, know about the questions they
have failed to answer regarding the hydrology and wellbeing of the
Swamp and its associated wetlands and rivers, and am appalled by the
thought that anyone would or could support this monstrosity.
The Precautionary Principle: if an action or policy has a suspected
risk of causing harm to the public or to the environment, the burden
of proof that it is NOT harmful falls on those taking the action or
implementing the policy.
Twin Pines can spin all the fairytales they want. The president,
Steve Ingle, can have tantrums in the press and whimper that he
doesn't want to talk about it anymore — but the fact remains
that Twin Pines has failed to prove no harm. Indeed, informed
opinion is that a titanium mine in that location could prove
devastating to the Okefenokee, the St. Marys River, and the economic
engine of tourism in the area.
Just imagine driving up to an entrance to the swamp and seeing nothing but a barren, parched, and arid dead zone.
Simply that is what is at
stake.
I implore those folks that live, work, and love the swamp to think
long and hard against the devastation that is on the horizon for one
of this land's jewels. People of Charlton County and Southeast
Georgia STAND UP, be counted, and don't allow Twin Pines to wreak
this havoc.
Bottom line, if you want scientific proof of the impact of your
mining operations, it is your job to provide it to us. We have been
clear and will remain steadfast in opposing your proposal. Mr.
Ingle, our land is not poor or pitiful, our people do not need your
operations. We do not want your mine here. The Okefenokee is
perfect. It is worth fighting for now, and always has been, and
always will be worth protecting and preserving it. I vote to leave
it this way and leave it alone!
The Okefenokee Swamp is a fragile and complicated ecosystem. Its
wellbeing impacts the economy, the culture, and the rivers which
flow from it. No endeavor which threatens this natural wonder should
be undertaken.
...Though I have spent many hours within the Okefenokee, I am not a local, and I dare not intend to tell the people of Charlton County how to feel. What I can say is that my organization, Defenders of Wildlife, is well-versed in the defense of our most cherished wild spaces. We have learned that certain corporations will say and do almost whatever it takes to gain the votes of local stakeholders, whether it be through finger-pointing, outright misrepresentations, or inflated financial promises. In such cases, history shows that communities should proceed at their own risk. Once the keys to the resources are handed over, promises tend to go unfulfilled, as do assurances of environmental stewardship. Based on its track record, Twin Pines unfortunately appears to fit this profile....
It's the miners who are proposing to risk the Okefenokee Swamp for their private profit, so it's their job to provide proof, despite what the Twin Pines full page ad in the Charlton County Herald says....
The ad says: “There are not many titanium deposits that are as easily accessible as this one.” So there are other deposits as easily accessible!
Even if there weren't, convenience for private profit for miners is
no excuse for risking the Okefenokee Swamp, which is a local, national, and international treasure for boating, fishing, birding, hunting around it, and its rare ecology.
The ad says, “Frankly, I'm tired of talk.”
Well, there's an easy solution:
withdraw the applications and go back to Alabama.
Regarding Steve Ingle's, president of Twin Pines, LLC, ad of
September 25, 2019:
Mr. Ingle, We noted your full-page ad and feel compelled to respond.
Sir, it is not our job to prove that your operation won't harm the
Okefenokee Swamp, and its tributaries, wetlands, and rivers. Yes, we
“have select standards for the procedures that help make
(modern conveniences) possible.” That's called
“environmental stewardship” and “common
sense.”
We are not required to demonstrate that a massive mine on the
doorstep of a fragile National Wildlife Refuge — a mine that
will withdraw 4.3 million gallons per day from the already-stressed
Floridan Aquifer, disturb the habitat of myriad species, and
potentially damage two vital rivers — is somehow
“safe.” That's your job.
In the year since we introduced our mining proposal, what stands out to me is how insistent opponents are it will have a negative impact on the swamp. Yet not one study, nor any sound scientific evidence, has been offered to indicate we shouldn’t surface mine, replace excavated soils, and reclaim the land which sits 2.7 miles away from the swamp....
Finally, I have come to realize that regardless of what science says, people are going to accuse us, or the Corps, of putting the swamp in danger. Frankly, I’m tired of talk. We’ve stepped up and are proving our case. For those who are so sure we’re going to harm the swamp, it’s time to step up and prove it.
Twenty years ago DuPont attempted to establish a similar mine on the
edge of the refuge. In a display of near-universal opposition, local
communities, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the
interior secretary fought what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
considered the “greatest threat” the swamp had ever
faced. After years of bitter conflict DuPont shelved the project.
Like DuPont, Twin Pines is hoping to exploit a deposit of titanium
found along the so-called Trail Ridge, an earthen barrier that
governs water circulation and storage within the larger Okefenokee.
If this happens, the Fish and Wildlife Service has warned that the
damage to the entire 438,000-acre swamp “may be
permanent.”
In the late 1990s, DuPont Chemical proposed mining titanium on the
edge of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The public outcry
was swift and decisive.
In 1999, DuPont relented and withdrew its proposal and the
Okefenokee was protected. Until now.
Now Twin Pines LLC, a tiny Alabama-based company with no experience
in building or operating a mine like this, proposes mining 2,414
acres (with the potential to expand to 12,000 acres) with depths of
up to 70 feet, which could fundamentally alter the hydrology of the
Refuge. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is on record stating that
impacts from the mine may not be able to be reversed.
Our primeval Okefenokee is an international treasure and is the
largest wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi. Over 700,000 people
visit the Refuge every year, generating about $88 million in
economic impact and providing 753 jobs.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing Twin Pines' plans to
impact 500 acres of wetlands and over a mile of streams. The agency
is currently taking comments from the public and will soon decide
whether to issue a permit for the project. Comments must be
submitted by Sept. 12. To voice your concerns about the mine's
impact to wildlife, water and the tourism economy supported by the
Okefenokee, go to garivers.org/priority-issues.
Mining provides important resources that all people use, but there
are good places to mine and bad places. This is the wrong mine in
the wrong place. Some places are too special to be put at risk for
short-term profits. The Okefenokee is such a place.
I would like to address my family, friends and the citizens of
Charlton County. I am a fifth generation resident of Baker County,
Florida. I have always considered Charlton County my second home.
You all are our neighbors. I grew up fishing in the swamp and the St
Marys River and camping from Emmaus Church, Simpson's Landing to
Traders Hill. I have relatives all over Charlton County. My mother's
mother was a Burnsed and her grandmother, a Reynolds. My father's
mother was a Thrift and her grandmother, a Sands. My five times
great-grandfather, George Reynolds, had a homestead on the North
Prong of the St Marys River on the Florida side of the St Marys and
constructed the first bridge across the North prong off of County
Road 185. A bridge that we still use and call Reynolds Bridge to
this day. I'm related to the Burnseds, Canadays, Mobleys, Reynolds,
Thrifts, Sands and Stokes by blood and the Crewses, Chessers and
Raulersons by marriage. I have always felt at home and welcomed in
Charlton County. I recently had an experience in Folkston at your
county commission meeting that made me feel like I was very
unwelcome in Charlton County. I was made to feel like a complete
stranger and as a member of the public and a citizen of these United
States did not deserve or was not worthy of three minutes to address
your County Commission Board during the public comment period of
their meeting.
I went to the commission meeting on August 15 because I had received
a copy of the agenda for that meeting and agenda item #6 was of
great importance to me. I had with me a prepared statement to read
into record and an official Consent Order to read into the record of
that meeting during public comment. When item #20 on the agenda
(Public Comment) came up, your chairman James E. Everett announced
that only Charlton County residents could come to the podium and
speak for three minutes and if you were not a Charlton County
resident you could see the clerk for an index card and write your
comment on the card and hand it back to the clerk because you would
not be allowed to address the board for public comment at the
podium. Gagging the public because they are not a resident of a
county is absolutely absurd! The agenda says public comment, not
Charlton County residents comment only. Their official agenda says
-Public Comments (Please limit to three minutes). It does not say
anything about being a resident or non resident of Charlton County.
It says nothing about being black, white, blue or green nor did it
include any restrictions on who could or could not speak during
public comment. Government is suppose to be FOR the people and BY
the people. County Government is not a private business or some
hierarchy ruled by the commission as their private kingdom although
I feel some in your county government think that. Your county
manager Hampton Raulerson told Laura Early the Satilla River Keeper
and Executive Director that the commissioners are there to make
decisions and not to listen to public comments. Really?? Whom does
Mr. Raulerson think elected the commission and whom does Mr.
Raulerson think he works for? Apparently themselves. Gordon Jackson
of the (Brunswick News) who has covered Charlton County government
for 17 years has stated he has never witnessed such restrictions on
silencing the public in Charlton County Commission meetings. Georgia
Public Broadcast newsletter on August 17, the day after this
commission meeting stated that county officials said they decided on
this new ‘gag rule' at this very meeting due to the
‘large' crowd and they didn't know how many were Charlton
residents and by letting only residents speak it would move the
meeting along a little faster and let them identify their residents.
WHEN did they decide that? At THIS meeting?? Did I fall asleep? Are
your commissioners telepathic and some how discussed this among
themselves before our very eyes without a peep from their vocal
cords? I don't know what you would call that, but I call that
something that comes out of the back end of a bull! They absolutely
DID NOT discuss making this change to the public comment period
during this meeting. It was announced and sprung on the public when
it came time for public comment and VERY apparent this decision was
made prior to this meeting! The ‘large' crowd was there at
6:00 pm, the meeting started and there was no discussion of this
sudden revelation that wow we have a ‘large' crowd here
tonight and we are going to have to find out who Charlton residents
are by limiting who can speak and not let out of county residents
speak in order to save time. What is the big deal about rushing a
meeting or keeping a meeting short? I have attended many
commissioner meeting in multiple counties in Georgia and Florida and
have never been told I could not address the board during public
comment because I did not live there. I have also been in commission
meetings where 20 to 50 citizens or more have spoken during public
comment and the meetings didn't get over until the wee hours of the
morning. I guess your commissioners have more important things to
attend to other than county business and that's the need to keep
their meetings short. Your commissioners are the highest paid
employees of your county. If you take their annual salary and
divided it by the number of hours they ACTUALLY meet and work they
are making hundreds of dollars per hour. Pretty good pay for a
‘part time' job.
It's a shame your chairman James E. Everett decided to gag and
silence the majority of the public at that meeting. If I had been
able to read and enter into record the documents I had with me it
might have helped keep a little egg off of the commissioners faces
when the dust settles over this premature proclamation of support
for Twin Pines Mining that they unanimously voted for. Your
commission has voted to support a company that is already breaking
the law in Florida destroying wetlands without permits and dumping
waste water without proper permitting. Sounds like a trustworthy and
upstanding company to trust with the Okefenokee to me... The
Okefenokee brings over 650,000 people a year to the swamp and those
people spend money in your county. The swamp brings in millions in
revenue each year. If it's damaged and destroyed no amount of mining
jobs or mining tax revenue to Charlton County will ever make up for
that. EVER!
We've seen no hydrological studies. They've performed no research
regarding the potentially devastating impacts on the nearby hunt
clubs and hunters that rely on the swamp for their income. No
studies have been done about the impacts on tourism. In fact, Twin
Pines offers (in their videotaped words) “no guarantees”
that their operation will not negatively and permanently impact the
Okefenokee Swamp and the rivers and people that depend upon it.
When I was a child, my father — former House Speaker Newt
Gingrich — was an environmental studies professor at West
Georgia College in Carrollton. In 1971, our family spent the second
Earth Day picking up trash from the side of the road. We often
hiked, canoed and camped in the Okefenokee Swamp.
She doesn't say anything about the proposed mine. Maybe she should. -jsq
As former Congressman of the 8th District of Georgia, one of the
high points of my service was designating the Okefenokee Swamp as a
U.S. Wilderness Area in 1974. Today, the United Nations recognizes
the Okefenokee as a Wetland of International Importance.
Twin Pines, a mining company based in Alabama, has applied for a U.S
Army Corps of Engineers permit for heavy metal sand mining on a
tract outside the Refuge. As part of the review process, the Corps
can require a full Environmental Impact Study. I believe such a
measure is necessary given the importance of the Okefenokee and the
potential environmental impacts.
The Okefenokee is a natural treasure. We revel in the biological
diversity. Its still, black waters and the bellow of an alligator
stir our imagination and transport us away from the realities of our
busy lives. But there is more to the Okefenokee.
The Okefenokee has 600,000 visitors a year and generates $88M in
economic impact in Charlton, Clinch, and Ware counties.
Putting this natural treasure and its economic impact at risk is
unthinkable. I am advocating for a thorough review of the risks
associated with mining, specifically its impact on ground and swamp
waters.
I urge everyone to join me in contacting the Corps of Engineers by
submitting an email to holly.a.ross@usace.army.mil and requesting a
full examination of the environmental risks associated with mining
alongside the global treasure of which we are the stewards.
“Gateway to the Okefenokee” says the sign as you exit
I-75 southbound into Valdosta.
Twin Pines Minerals promises jobs, taxes, and low impact. Yet just
across the state line in Florida, miners made all those same
promises, and nobody can name any local people employed.
The miners have told multiple organizations they want to ship the
ore to Starke, Florida, for processing. That's in Bradford County,
between the New River and the Santa Fe River, which flows into the
Suwannee River.
During Hurricane Irma, the only pollution spills in the Suwannee
River Basin in Florida (other than truck wrecks) were three from
Chemours mines on Trail Ridge in Baker and Bradford Counties.
Do we want to risk that on Trail Ridge in Charlton County, Georgia,
where downhill is either the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge or
the St. Mary's River? That river is a favorite local recreational
resort. The Refuge, directly and indirectly, supports hundreds of
jobs.
We need a real Environmental Impact Statement before we let miners
risk the Suwannee River headwaters in the Okefenokee Swamp, or its
tributaries the New or Santa Fe Rivers.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most unique
natural landscapes on the East Coast. My family, along with 600,000
guests annually, visit to bask in its vast wilderness.
But today, the ‘land of trembling earth' has a trembling
future. Mining company Twin Pines plans to mine minerals used in
paint, dangerously close to our treasured swamp.
Okefenokee lies west of Trail Ridge, an ancient sandy beachfront
running parallel to Georgia's coast. Trail Ridge provides unique
habitats and corridors for important species like gopher tortoises.
It also serves as a natural barrier that keeps water in the swamp.
Twin Pines' immediate plans are to mine along Trail Ridge,
recklessly affecting over 500 acres of wetlands in a 2,400-acre site
and eventually mining 10,000 more acres. They propose to excavate
deep soils (up to 50 feet below the surface), significantly changing
geologic formations created over hundreds of thousands of years and
impacting the flow of water in and around the swamp. Such major
alterations to a treasured natural system likely cannot be reversed,
repaired, or mitigated. We cannot risk damaging our beloved
Okefenokee for reckless mining.
Now through September 12, I hope the public will join me in
submitting comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responsible
for issuing the company permits.
The Corps must host a public hearing and require an Environmental
Impact Statement to analyze the impacts and prevent activities that
will forever alter the trembling earth that has inspired so many
generations.
THE BAKER COUNTY Press, OPINION. LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Thursday, July 18, 2019
Seeks comments on proposed mining
Dear editor:
For boating, fishing, hunting and wildlife, the Okefenokee Swamp and
the St. Mary's River are local one-of-a-kind treasures famous
nationwide and throughout the world. A new company called Twin Pines
Minerals is proposing to operate a heavy mineral sand mining
facility on approximately 12,000 acres comprised of six different
tracts of land. The first mining phase is the currently proposed
project area of 2,414 acres between the Okefenokee Swamp and the St.
Marys River in Charlton County, Georgia. The site is located North
of Georgia Highway 94, West of Georgia Highway 23, and East of the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, St. George, Georgia and
Charlton County, Georgia.
During Hurricane Irma, the only industrial pollution spills in the
Suwannee River Basin were accidental overflows and emergency
releases from the Chemours mine on Trail Ridge in Baker and Bradford
Counties.
Do we want to risk that on Trail Ridge in Charlton County, where
downhill is either the Okefenokee Swamp or the St. Marys River? The
swamp and the river are everyone's recreational resort.
The refuge, directly and indirectly, supports hundreds of jobs and
over 600,000 people visit the swamp each year. About $88 million of
annual expenditures can be attributed to the swamp yearly in the
form of jobs, tax revenue and economic output. Mining on Trail Ridge
could jeopardize an extremely important and iconic places.
Twin Pines Minerals is based in Birmingham, Alabama. People from
there warn us of the company's poor environmental record concerning
coal mining. At least let's get some independent evaluation of the
miners' claims of be- ing good environmental stewards. We need a
thorough and sound Environmental Impact Statement. Let's encourage
Charlton County commissioners to help with that.
The next Charlton County Commission meeting is Thursday, July 18 in
Folkston at 68 Kingsland Drive.
The Army Corps is soliciting comments from the public, federal,
state and local agencies and officials; Native American tribes and
other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the
impacts of this proposed activitiy. Any comments received will be
considered by the Corps to determine whether to issue, modify,
condition or deny a permit for this proposal. To make this decision,
comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic
properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the
other public interest factors listed above. Comments are used in the
preparation of an environmental assessment and/or an impact
statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.
Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing
and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed
activity.
Anyone wishing to comment on this application for a Department of
the Army permit should submit comments in writing to the Commander,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Attention: Ms.
Holly Ross, 1104 North Westover Boulevard, Suite 9, Albany, Georgia,
31707, or by email to holly.a.ross@usace.army.mil, no later than 30
days from July 12.
Please refer to the applicant's name and the application number in
your comments: Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, 2100 Southbridge Parkway,
Birmingham, Alabama 35209, Application Number: SAS-2018-00554. If
you have any further questions concerning this matter, please
contact Ms. Ross, Project Manager, Albany Field Office at
648-422-2727 or via email at the above address.
FOLKS[T]ON, Ga. (AP) — County officials in Georgia are supporting
a mining proposal near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge that
a U.S. agency has said could cause environmental damage.
Radio station WSVH [Georgia Public Broadcasting] reports the Charlton County Commission voted
unanimously Thursday evening to approve a proclamation backing the
mining plan by Twin Pines Minerals of Alabama. Commissioners cited
the company's promise of 150 jobs as well as additional tax revenue....
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The federal agency that manages the vast
wildlife refuge in the Okefenokee Swamp says a private company's
plan to mine minerals near the swamp edge could pose
“substantial risks” to the environment, and some damage
may be irreversible.
The written comments from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were
provided to The Associated Press on Friday by the Army Corps of
Engineers, which disclosed last week that it is considering a permit
request by the mining company Twin Pines Minerals LLC of Birmingham,
Alabama.
The company wants to mine titanium dioxide less than 4 miles (6.4
kilometers) from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. It's the
largest federal refuge east of the Mississippi River, covering
nearly 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers) near the
Georgia-Florida state line.
....
“After the mining, it is questionable if the site will serve
as habitat for either species ever again,” the Fish and
Wildlife memo said.
WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS), est. 2012, is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-for-profit charity.
WWALS advocates for conservation and stewardship of the surface waters and groundwater of the Suwannee River Basin and Estuary, in south Georgia and north Florida, among them the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, Santa Fe, and Suwannee River watersheds, through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities.
Since 2016,
Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
is a project and a staff member of WWALS as the Waterkeeper Alliance® member for the 10,000 square mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia.
Photographs by WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc.,
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![[Okefenokee Swamp, Mine site, Ossoff, Connor]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-03--usace-tpm-okefnokee/many.jpg)
![[Sen. Ossoff at the Okefenokee Swamp 2021-05-14]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-05-25--ossoff-okefenokee/21.05.14-Okefenokee-4-1024x683.jpg)
![[Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson; Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman; Map: Okefenokee Swamp, Valdosta, mine site]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-11-17--vld-oke-vdt/many.jpg)
![[Reporter, Mayor, Suwannee Riverkeeper, mine in Suwannee River Basin map]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-11-15--valdosta-okefenokee-resolution-wfxl/many.jpg)
![[Okefenokee]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-05-09--ossoff-vdt-okefenokee/20210508_185149.jpg)
![[Convenience of private profit is no excuse to risk Okefenokee --Suwannee Riverkeeper]](http://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-09-25--tpm-full-page-ad/jsq-0.jpg)
![[Suwannee Riverkeeper op-ed 2019-08-13]](http://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-07-12--tpm-usace/20190814_110602.jpg)
![[Op-ed-BC-Press-Twin-Pines-0001]](http://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-07-18--lyons-baker-county-press/Op-ed-BC-Press-Twin-Pines-0001.jpg)
![[44,000 commenters against strip mine on a map]](Location-of-34-014-of-over-44-000-Commenters-on-Twin-Pines-March-2020-Application-by-State.jpg)
![[Organizations For Okefenokee Swamp, Against Titanium Mine]](For-Okefenokee-Swamp-Against-Titanium-Mine-0001.jpg)
![[Applicant: Steven R. Ingle, Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, 2100 Southbridge Parkway, Birmingham, AL 35209]](SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0001.jpg)
![[Background]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0002.jpg)
![[Public Comments]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0003.jpg)
![[Comment Period]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0004.jpg)
![[Site Locations & Topographic Map]](SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0005.jpg)
![[Aerial Photograph Map]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0006.jpg)
![[Phase I location Map]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0007.jpg)
![[HUC Map]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0008.jpg)
![[Alternative 1 Map]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0009.jpg)
![[Estimated Timeline Map]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0010.jpg)
![[Proposed Site Layout Map]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0011.jpg)
![[Impact Excavation Design]](SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0012.jpg)
![[D - D' Generalized Hydrogeologic Cross-Section]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0013.jpg)
![[O - O' Generalized Hydrogeologic Cross-Section]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0014.jpg)
![[2.0 Purpose and Need]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0015.jpg)
![[3.0 Alternative Analysis]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0016.jpg)
![[Mineral Separation Plant (MSP); jobs]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0017.jpg)
![[Table 2: Aquatic Resources; Table 3: Wetland Impact]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0018.jpg)
![[Table 4: Stream Impact; cultural resources]](small/SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR-0019.jpg)
![[Context]](20190430_141313.jpg)
![[Trail Ridge Land LLC]](small/trail-ridge-land.jpg)
![[GA-FL context]](ga-fl-context.jpg)
![[Suwannee River Basin Landings]](small/landings.jpg)
![[TPM: Charlton County, GA, Trail Ridge, Bradford County, FL]](small/landings-starke.jpg)
![[Suwannee Riverkeeper op-ed 2019-08-13]](20190814_110602.jpg)
![[Premature for resolution]](2019-08-15--WWALS-Charlton-County-TPM-0001.jpg)
![[Economic Analysis]](small/2019-08-15--WWALS-Charlton-County-TPM-0002.jpg)
![[Suwannee Riverkeeper Op-Ed]](small/2019-08-15--WWALS-Charlton-County-TPM-0003.jpg)
![[in Charlton County Herald]](small/2019-08-15--WWALS-Charlton-County-TPM-0004.jpg)
![[Chemours Maxville Mine]](50079sta-0001.jpg)
![[Signs]](2019-08-13--folkston-signs.jpg)
![[by Susannah Kitchens and Todd C. Rasmussen, 11 April 1995, UGA]](1995-kitchens-rasmussen-Hydraulic-Evidence-for-Vertical-Flow-Paper-0001.jpg)
![[To evaluate the magnitude of vertical leakage between the Okefenokee Swamp and the underlying Floridan Aquifer,]](small/1995-kitchens-rasmussen-Hydraulic-Evidence-for-Vertical-Flow-Paper-0002.jpg)