WWALS Watershed Coalition

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.

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SELC comments to USACE against Twin Pines titanium mine near Okefenokee Swamp 2019-09-12 [Up]

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Pictures

Cover

[On Behalf of...]
On Behalf of...
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I. Summary of Twin Pine's Mining Proposal

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[Figure 1: Proposed Twin Pines Mine]
Figure 1: Proposed Twin Pines Mine
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II. The lack of information in the application prevents meaningful comment by the public

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III. To comply with NEPA, the Corps must prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to analyze the environmental impacts of the proposed mine.

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IV. The proposed project violates Clean Water Act 404(b)(1) Guidelines.

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[Figure 2: Selected Major Land Owners on Trail Ridge]
Figure 2: Selected Major Land Owners on Trail Ridge
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[Figure 3: South Georgia/North Florida Heavy Mineral Sands Mining]
Figure 3: South Georgia/North Florida Heavy Mineral Sands Mining
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V. The proposed project violates Clean Water Act Public Interest Guidelines.

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[Figure 4: Federal and State Protected Species on Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge]
Figure 4: Federal and State Protected Species on Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
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[Figure 5: 2016 Recreation Visits to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge]
Figure 5: 2016 Recreation Visits to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
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[Figure 6: Visitor Recreation Expenditures; Figure 7: Local Economic Contributions]
Figure 6: Visitor Recreation Expenditures; Figure 7: Local Economic Contributions
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[Figure 8: Gross Economic Values from Okefenokee Refuge Wetlands per Year]
Figure 8: Gross Economic Values from Okefenokee Refuge Wetlands per Year
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VI. The proposed project violates the Endangered Species Act.

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VII. Before granting a Section 404 permit, the Corps should ensure that the proposed mine would not adversely impact Okefenokee Wilderness.

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VIII. Before granting a Section 404 permit, the Corps should ensure that the proposed mine would not adversely impact the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

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X. Twin Pines' cultural resource surveys are inadequate under the National Historic Preservation Act.

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XI. Request for Public Hearing; XII. Conclusion

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[Signatures]
Signatures
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