Waterkeepers Florida asks the Army Corps to require Twin Pines Minerals to supply all the information missing from its application for a titanium mine near the Okefenokee Swamp, to prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), 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.”

You can also still comment to the Army Corps.

TPM Equipment closeup Photo: Wayne Morgan for Suwannee Riverkeeper on Southwings flight, pilot Allen Nodorft, 2019-10-05.

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See also PDF.

A Resolution that Waterkeepers Florida

Opposes the Application by Twin Pines Minerals for a Titanium Mine near the Okefenokee Swamp,
and asks the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an Environmental Impact Statement broad enough to cover Florida issues,
for Public Hearings in Florida,
and to Answer how the Corps has determined or will determine that this mine would not affect Florida

WHEREAS, the Okefenokee Swamp, partly in Florida; is a national and international treasure, for its wetland ecology, and for boating, fishing, and birding, and for hunting nearby; and

WHEREAS, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) provides more economic benefit to Florida than any other NWR (see U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Banking On Nature 2017: The Economic Contributions of National Wildlife Refuge Recreational Visitation to Local Communities https://www.fws.gov/economics/divisionpublications/bankingOnNature/BoN2017/bon2017.asp); and

WHEREAS, the Okefenokee Swamp is the headwaters of the Suwannee River and of the St. Marys River, both of which are partly in Florida; and

WHEREAS, any change in the water level of the Swamp would affect the entire Okefenokee Swamp and the Suwannee River and the St. Marys River; and

WHEREAS, the Applicant’s proposed mine in Charlton County, Georgia, would sit above the Floridan Aquifer, from which most of Florida drinks; and

WHEREAS, the miners have applied to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) to withdraw 4.32 million gallons per day of water, more than four times as much as Folkston, the county seat of Charlton County (see https://wwals.net/?p=50227); and

WHEREAS, the Floridan Aquifer is already under stress with declining water levels from withdrawals in south Georgia and north Florida, including from existing mines; and

WHEREAS, the Applicant company, Twin Pines Minerals, is already under a Consent Order for multiple violations at four Chemours mine sites in north Florida (see https://wwals.net/pictures/2019-02-07–lfco-chemours); and

WHEREAS, infractions similar to those of the Florida Consent Order at the mine site in Georgia could adversely affect the Okefenokee Swamp, the St. Marys River, and the Suwannee River; and

WHEREAS, the only two Waterkeepers that straddle the GA-FL state line, Suwannee Riverkeeper and St. Marys Riverkeeper, have filed comments with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asking for a full Environmental Impact Statement and Public Hearings (see https://wwals.net/?p=50140 and https://wwals.net/pictures/2019-09-12–st-marys-rk-usace-tpm/); and

WHEREAS, most of the Riverkeepers of Georgia filed their own comments, or comments supporting the comments filed with the Corps by Suwannee Riverkeeper; and

WHEREAS, all the above-mentioned Waterkeepers or Riverkeepers are Members of the Waterkeeper Alliance, and Waterkeeper Alliance supports the comments filed with the Corps by Suwannee Riverkeeper; and

WHEREAS, the comments filed with the Corps by Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) include important legal and other points relevant to Florida (see https://wwals.net/pictures/2019-09-12–selc-usace-tpm/); and

WHEREAS, all the above-mentioned comments, as well as ones filed with the Corps by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, cite information lacking from the Application, especially about hydrology and hydrogeology (see https://wwals.net/?p=50199); and

WHEREAS, the Corps received at least 20,338 comments before its nominal comment deadline, far more than for most applications (see https://wwals.net/?p=50158)

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:

1. to require the Applicant to supply all the missing information identified by Suwannee Riverkeeper, St. Marys Riverkeeper, and SELC; and
2. 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
3. to hold Public Hearings, including in Florida; and
4. 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.

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Much more about that titanium mine application: wwals.net/issues/titanium-mining/

How to Comment

Help Suwannee Riverkeeper save the Okefenokee Swamp
You can object to a titanium strip mine proposed far too near the Swamp.

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GA-EPD had a public comment period open until March 20, 2023 on the Twin Pines Minerals Mining Land Use Plan.

You can still send a comment to the addreseses below, even though the comment period is over. You can comment from anywhere: not limited to Georgia.

Here is the Public Notice and the documents on which you need to comment.

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
• twinpines.comment@dnr.ga.gov
• https://gaepd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2DroBrvkTZGU_4OsogtPSQ
  Zoom Meeting Registration February 21 or 23, 2023

You can write to your Georgia state representative or senator or governor or lieutenant governor and ask them to refuse any such instrument.

Here's a convenient comment form by Georgia Water Coalition:
https://protectgeorgia.org/okefenokee/#/320/

Or to find your legislator you can type in your ZIP code here: http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

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.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

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