Excellent letter in the Charlton County Herald, October 23, 2019. You can send your own letter to the editor or comment to the Army Corps or GA-EPD.

Twin Pines should not be given the keys to the Okefenokee

Dear Editor,

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.

First, Twin Pines has repeatedly claimed that operations will only occur in a small and isolated area. The company promised at the recent Folkston hearing that mining will be far removed from the swamp and will not take place across the larger property. According to multiple government agencies, however, Twin Pines has privately conceded that it plans to mine all 12,000-acres in roughly 1,000-acre phases over a 30-year period. This would place mining on the edge of the refuge and within a stone’s throw of the Okefenokee swamp itself.

At the same hearing, the company also dismissed the potential for impacts to imperiled species and inexplicably promised locals 300-400 jobs, which is twice the number specified in its permit application. Twin Pines further declared that it would somehow restore mined wetlands to an even healthier condition than their original state, even though the company, at just six years old, apparently has no real-world experience restoring wetlands of any kind on mined sands.

These promises were recently met with over 20,000 comments, most of which voiced concern with or opposition to the project. Following the closure of the public comment period, Twin Pines president Steve Ingle published a bizarre, full-page advertisement, in which he called mining opponents selfish hypocrites. He also suggested that, if mining were to harm the swamp, it would be the public’s responsibility to prove. Fortunately, that is simply not the way our country operates. Despite its protests, the burden of proof rests upon the shoulders of Twin Pines. The company must refute the findings of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and several independent experts, all of whom expect mining to potentially result in permanent, unacceptable, or irreversible damage to the swamp. That these predictions give Twin Pines no cause for concern is disappointing but ultimately of little surprise. Given their history, the Alabama-based company has shown it has little regard for either authority or environmental protections. After ignoring warnings from the state of Florida, for instance, Twin Pines was recently cited for failing to maintain silt fences and illegally dumping tailings into a wetland.

On an annual basis, 600,000 visitors travel to the refuge and generate upwards of $64 million in local economic output, which in turn supports over 700 local jobs. The wealth created by the swamp, however, is directly tied to its well-being. In recent surveys, 50% of visitors indicated they’d be less likely to return for future visits were the Okefenokee’s water quality to diminish.

As photos of Twin Pines’ actual, real-life operations confirm, damage of this nature is simply the cost of doing business with the mining industry.

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.

In the coming months, I hope the people of Charlton County take account of the facts, critically examine the representations made by Twin Pines, and ultimately come to reach the same conclusion. The long-term vibrancy of our country’s greatest wetland, the Okefenokee Swamp, depends on it.

Christian Hunt is the Southeast Program Associate for Defenders of Wildlife, a national conservation organization focused solely on wildlife and habitat conservation and the safeguarding of biodiversity.

— Christian Hunt, Southeast Program Associate for Defenders of Wildlife, a national conservation organization focused solely on wildlife and habitat conservation and the safeguarding of biodiversity.

Email editor@charltonherald.com
to submit a letter to the editor!

Thanks to Christian Hunt for sending an image of the letter.

You can send your own letter to: editor@charltonherald.com

All about that proposed TPM titanium mine next to the Okefenokee Swamp:
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.

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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