Titanium Mining

Most known information is collected here: wwals.net/pictures/2019-07-12–tpm-usace

How to Comment, WWALS blog posts, News, Documents, Meetings, Summaries, Editorials, Op-Eds, Associated Press, Pictures.

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.

Documents

Applications with GA-EPD

They're all on the GA-EPD website.

USACE abdication of oversight, October 2020

Corps Approved Jurisdictional Determination, ORM Number: SAS-2018-00554 (Oct. 14, 2020) (Attachment 11).

New Application to USACE, March 2020

New Deadline: SAS-2018-00554 Twin Pines Minerals, Published April 13, 2020, Expiration date: 5/28/2020

“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.”
New Notice: SAS-2018-00554-SP-HAR, Published March 13, 2020, Expiration date: 4/13/2020
Images of each page of the notice of re-application.
About that notice

Figure 1: Location of the Proposed Saunders Demonstration Mine
PDF

Old Application, 2019

Old Notice: SAS-2018-00554-Charlton-0712-SP-HAR.pdf: 8 megabytes
Complete application: 326 megabytes
- Twin-Pines-Individual-Permit-Application--complete.pdf
- Same on WWALS google drive

Thanks to the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) for obtaining the complete application.

Drone aerial of equipment on Twin Pines Minerals mining site despite no permits, with the Okefenokee Swamp in the background, 2019-11-23

Meetings in August 2019

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

Blog posts and Summaries

First WWALS blog posts, then Summaries.

WWALS blog posts

The numbers are newest to oldest, and will change as new blog posts are logged.

2023-06-30: Nominating Okefenokee NWR for UNESCO World Heritage List --WWALS 2023-06-28.

The WWALS letter 2023-06-28 and the old-growth cypress 2021-01-10

It features an old-growth cypress stand with trees 400-500 years old.

2023-06-19: Another reason to reject TiO2 strip mine near the Okefenokee Swamp: food coloring health issues 2023-06-02.

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.”

Skittles, TiO2 dragline

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/
Tom Perkins, The Guardian, June 2, 2023, Health advocates urge US regulators to ban common food coloring additive: Titanium dioxide, found in candy, meat substitutes and packaged cookies, has been linked to a range of serious health issues,

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.

....
2023-03-24: Videos: Trash, Okefenokee, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting, WWALS Gala on Scott James radio 92.1.FM 2023-03-24,

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.

Video:
https://youtu.be/gQNdGE4LYcE
2023-03-20: All nine Riverkeepers of Georgia oppose the mining permit applications by Twin Pines Minerals too near the Okefenokee Swamp 2023-03-09,

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.
....
2023-03-18: Please stop a strip mine near the Okefenokee Swamp that threatens both Florida and Georgia –Waterkeepers Florida

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.
You can still comment to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division by 4:30 PM, Monday, March 20th, and ask Georgia legislators to pass bills protecting the Okefenokee Swamp, the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers, and the Floridan Aquifer.

Support the Okefenokee Swamp, not a strip mine --Waterkeepers Florida 2023-03-17
2023-03-17: WWALS Public Comments on Mining Land Use Plan of Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, too near the Okefenokee Swamp 2023-03-17

March 17, 2023

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

Please deny the mining permits

Why this decision is important far away

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

Special Presentation on West Mims Fire, Lowndes County Commission, 2017-08-08

...
2023-03-02: Videos: Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Sewage spills, Trash, Okefenokee Swamp over stripmine @ Radio 2023-02-28,

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.

Video.
2023-02-12: Ask Georgia legislators to support HB 71 to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining 2023-02-12.

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/

Bear: Protect the Okefenokee

And don't forget to send GA-EPD comments on the Mining Land Use Plan:
https://wwals.net/?p=60735
Floridians, you can comment to GA-EPD. And ask your friends and relatives to contact their Georgia legislators.
2023-02-06: Ask the Georgia Legislature to act while GA-DNR keeps passing the buck about mining near the Okefenokee Swamp 2023-01-27,

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.
Please go ahead and send in your comment on the Mining Land Use Plan.
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....
2023-01-28: Keep tugging on the not-to-mine end of the Okefenokee rope –Dink Nesmith 2023-01-25,

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.
Dink Nesmith, Georgia Recorder, January 25, 2023, Okefenokee tug-o-war is long way from over,

Protest and Dragline

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....
2023-01-20: Public Comment on land use plan for titanium strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp –GA-EPD 2023-01-19
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
- twinpines.comment@dnr.ga.gov
- https://gaepd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2DroBrvkTZGU_4OsogtPSQ
  Zoom Meeting Registration February 21 or 23, 2023
The comment deadline is 60 days after the notice of yesterday, so apparently Monday, March 20, 2023.

Proposed Project Location, 2-MLUP-App-N-b-Modeling-the-Groundwater-Flow-System-on-Trail-Ridge-9-14-2021-Figs-Tables-and-Apps-0012

The Twin Pines Minerals Draft Mining Land Use Plan and Associated Documents for Public Comment are on the GA-EPD website, and also on the WWALS website.
Here is the public notice:....
2023-01-05: News again: Valdosta’s 2021 resolution against the strip mine proposed too near the Okefenokee Swamp 2023-01-01

Dragline on TPM mine site 2022-09-27 and Valdosta City Council 2021-11-11
2022-12-08: Unacceptable risk to mine near the Okefenokee Swamp –U.S. Interior Secretary Haaland 2022-12-07

She finally said what she did not say when she toured the Okefenokee Swamp back in September.
You can also tell the state of Georgia to stop the proposed strip mine far too close to the Okefenokee Swamp, the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers, above the Floridan Aquifer from which we all drink.

Interior Secretary Haaland in the Okefenokee Swamp 2022-09-16 Photo: Shannon Estenoz and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Russ Bynam, AP in the AJC, 7 December 2022, Interior secretary: `Unacceptable' to mine near famed swamp,

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....
2022-10-04: GA-DNR Board does not discuss mining near Okefenokee Swamp 2022-09-27.

DNR Board and Twin Pines dragline
2022-09-21: Okefenokee poll and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland 2022-09-16.
2022-09-16: Majority of Georgians Say Governor Should Immediately Protect the Okefenokee from Risky Mining 2022-09-15
2022-09-15: Titanium strip mine permitting tossed back to GA-EPD 2022-08-23.
2022-07-03: GA-EPD will wait for Army Corps to decide on Twin Pines mine application near Okefenokee Swamp 2022-06-07

Two pages
2022-06-28: Twin Pines Minerals sues Army Corps about oversight of strip mine site near Okefenokee Swamp 2022-06-27
2022-06-05: Army Corps resumes oversight; miners have to reapply for strip mine too near Okefenokee Swamp
2022-06-03: Army Corps resumes jurisdiction over proposed strip mine site near Okefenokee Swamp 2022-06-03
2022-05-25: Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff advocates for protection of the Okefenokee Swamp 2022-05-25
2022-02-24: Support Georgia HB 1289 to protect the Okefenokee Swamp 2022-02-24
2022-01-09: Georgia Okefenokee protection bill filed on Okefenokee Swamp Day 2022-02-08.
2022-02-08: Groundwater considered important: WWALS to EPA 2022-02-07.

Bill, Proclamation, Trail Ridge
2022-01-17: More than 40 scientists oppose strip mine near Okefenokee Swamp 2021-11-30
2022-01-11: Supreme Court ruling on underground water could affect proposed titanium strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp

Figure 8. Drawdown 2930 days
2021-12-09: Resolutions for Okefenokee Swamp, against strip mine –Suwannee Riverkeeper @ SGRC 2021-12-09
2021-12-08: More water questions from GA-EPD about TPM strip mine too near Okefenokee Swamp 2021-12-07
2021-11-18: Valdosta council opposes swamp mine plan –VDT 2021-11-17
Valdosta working to protect Okefenokee Swamp –WFXL TV 2021-11-15
2021-11-12: Valdosta passes resolution opposing strip mine near Okefenokee Swamp 2021-11-11
2021-10-22: Video: Titanium strip mine too near Okefenokee Swamp; Suwannee Riverkeeper on Scott James Radio 2021-10-18
2021-10-20: Mining moratorium: NWPR WOTUS and Army Corps on Okefenokee mine site –WWALS to EPD 2021-09-27
2021-09-15: More questions about strip mine near Okefenokee Swamp –GA-EPD to miners 2021-09-10
2021-08-29: A lot of titanium, but only one Okefenokee Swamp –U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock 2021-08-28
2021-07-15: Twin Pines Minerals supplied more documents to GA-EPD about mining near Okefenokee Swamp 2021-06-25
2021-05-09: Sen. Ossoff tries new Valdosta public transit; answers questions about Okefenokee Swamp –Valdosta Daily Times 2021-05-09
2021-05-06: Senator Jon Ossoff: Okefenokee is a sacred natural resource 2021-05-06
2021-04-30: Four U.S. Senators ask U.S. FWS to assist GA-EPD against mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp 2021-04-28
2021-05-04: Chemours: new Florida mine, what about next to the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia? 2021-04-23
2021-04-08: Alligator snapping turtle threatened status: another reason to protect the Okefenokee Swamp 2021-04-07
2021-04-04: Okefenokee Swamp south drains west to Suwannee River
2021-03-18: Help Suwannee Riverkeeper Save Okefenokee Swamp
2021-03-16: GA-EPD permit process for Twin Pines strip mine too near Okefenokee Swamp 2021-02-08
2021-02-15: Nominating Okefenokee NWR for UNESCO World Heritage List 2021-01-26
2021-01-26: Walter Parks, bard of Okefenokee Swamp Hollers
2021-01-26: Four paddling Okefenokee Swamp, Suwannee River, to the Gulf
2021-01-14: Okefenokee Flyover 2021-01-10
Okefenokee news in the Georgia runoff elections 2020-12-29
2020-12-23: Please stop a strip mine near the Okefenokee Swamp that threatens both Florida and Georgia –WKFL 2020-12-11,

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:
2020-12-18: Georgia Runoff Candidates: Position on strip mine near Okefenokee Swamp? 2020-12-16
XXX: Fill in missing posts here.
2020-05-21: Any additional mining would be closer to the refuge. –FWS to Sen. Perdue 2019-11-21
2020-05-07: Unprecedented Army Corps virtual Public Meeting about strip mine application near Okefenokee Swamp 2020-05-13,

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.”

Mine to Gulf and Ocean in the WWALS map of all public landings and boat ramps in the Suwannee River Basin.

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.
The meeting will use the WebEx platform, so...
2020-04-13: Deadline extended to May 28 after virtual Public Meeting on May 13 for mining application near Okefenokee Swamp 2020-04-13
2020-04-13: Waterkeepers Florida to Army Corps and EPA against strip mine near Okefenokee Swamp 2020-04-10,

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.
2020-04-10: Comment now: TPM mine drains to Okefenokee Swamp, Rivers Styx, St. Marys, Suwannee, Georgia and Florida 2020-04-10,

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.

River Styx

Please go ahead and tell the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers why you don't want this strip mine near the Swamp.
You can also ask for an extension of the public comment deadline, and for public hearings in Georgia and Florida. Here is the Suwannee Riverkeeper extension and hearings request for WWALS.
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....
2020-03-30: Request EPA to ask Florida for comment on Applicant: Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, Application Number: SAS-2018-00554 2020-03-30,

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.’

2020-03-30--WWALS-EPA-TPM-FDEP-comment-hearing-0001

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.
Why not both?
2020-03-19: Request comment deadline extension and public hearings about titanium mine near Okefenokee Swamp –Suwannee Riverkeeper to Army Corps 2020-03-19,

We urge everyone else to also send the Army Corps a comment letter asking for an extension of the comment deadline and for public hearings.
For more things you can do to oppose this bad mining application, see How to Comment.

Map: TPM Mine, Okefenokee Swamp, Suwannee River
in the WWALS map of All Public Landings in the Suwannee River Basin.
The TPM mine is marked in the right center by the highlighted crossed hammers,
due north of the line of four Chemours titanium mines in north Florida.

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...
2020-02-16: Supporters of the Okefenokee Swamp ready to stop new strip mine application by Twin Pines Minerals,

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.

Figure 1: Location of the Proposed Saunders Demonstration Mine
PDF

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....

Map: TPM Mine, Okefenokee Swamp, Suwannee River
in the WWALS map of All Public Landings in the Suwannee River Basin.
2020-02-14: Reject or EIS: Twin Pines Minerals mine near Okefenokee –U.S. Rep. Al Lawson 2020-02-13

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.

U.S. Rep. Al Lawson to USACE
2020-01-13: Twin Pines Minerals mining equipment still on site near Okefenokee Swamp 2020-02-13,

The miners didn’t go away from their site near the Okefenokee Swamp after they withdrew their permit application, so expect another application soon.

Photo: John S. Quarterman for WWALS, Equipment zoom 2020-02-12.

The miners said they would be back, in Mining company withdraws permit application for project near Okefenokee by Nedra Rhone, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 9, 2020,

“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....
2020-01-08: Twin Pines Minerals withdraws application to strip-mine near Okefenokee 2020-02-07
2020-02-05: USACE has miners explain equipment on yard near St. George, GA 2019-10-18
2020-02-05: Baker County, FL, resident responds to Charlton County, GA, about mine proposed near Okefenokee Swamp 2020-01-14
2020-01-05: GA-EPD: Twin Pines massive submittals short on analysis, incomplete, not sufficient, and wetland impacts not temporary 2019-12-01

“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....
2019-12-31: U.S. EPA still says mine would have substantial and unacceptable impact –Suwannee Riverkeeper 2019-12-31

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.”

Anonymous drone aerial of heavy equipment on the mining site 2019-11-23.
River Styx is in the background, Okefenokee Swamp is on the horizon.
St. Marys River flows out top left horizon. Suwannee River flows out far side of Swamp.

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: https://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:....
2019-12-16: U.S. EPA still finds Twin Pines mine will have a substantial and unacceptable impact 2019-10-03
2019-11-28: Thanks to organizations for the Okefenokee Swamp, against the Titanium Mine,

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.

Organizations For Okefenokee Swamp, Against Titanium Mine
PDF
Add your organization here: https://forms.gle/Dyqc77EBsjXBsz93A

You 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....
2019-11-24: Drone aerials of titanium mine site near Okefenokee Swamp 2019-11-23,

Yesterday someone sent me drone pictures of the titanium mine site near the Okefenokee Swamp. They were taken from above GA 94, looking northwest.
You can still can comment against the proposed mine to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Closeup 2019-11-23

For comparison, here is an aerial Wayne Morgan took for WWALS on October 5, 2019....
2019-11-23: Okefenokee flyaround –Wayne Morgan 2019-10-05,

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....
2019-11-14: Okefenokee Swamp on GWC Dirty Dozen because Titanium Mine 2019-11-14

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

TPM Equipment closeup, Wayne Morgan for WWALS on Southwings flight, pilot Allen Nodorft, October 5, 2019.
2019-11-07: Do not allow Twin Pines to wreak havoc on Okefenokee --Robert L. Nutter 2019-11-06,

“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.
2019-11-07: No mining guarantees, and leave the Okefenokee alone –Local citizens in Charlton County Herald 2019-10-30

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.

River Styx & Okefenokee NWR from above Twin Pines Minerals mine site Photo: Wayne Morgan for WWALS on Southwings flight, pilot Allen Nodorft 2019-10-05
2019-11-01: Waterkeepers Florida, October 23, 2019, Waterkeepers Florida passes resolution against titanium mine application near Okefenokee Swamp,
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.
2019-10-31: Mining Ruined Family Field –Charles F. Arwood, 2019-10-23

However, I can say that the strip mining by Dupont in Bradford County did do a lot of harm to my Grandfather’s strawberry farm!
2019-10-28: Twin Pines: no keys to the Okefenokee --Christian Hunt 2019-10-23,

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....
2019-10-22: Floridan Aquifer withdrawals affect the Okefenokee Swamp, so how could TPM's withdrawals not? 1995-04-11
2019-10-19: Videos: Chemours titanium mine expansion, Bradford BOCC 2019-10-17
2019-10-18: Chemours titanium mine expansion, Bradford BOCC 2019-10-17
2019-10-14: Titanium mine expansion on SRWMD land SE of Starke, Bradford County, Florida 2019-10-17

Photo: John S. Quarterman for WWALS, on Southwings flight 2019-10-05, pilot Allen Nodorft, Closer, 122702, 12:27:01, 30.1685423, -82.0663337
2019-10-10: A Bill of Rights for Nature,

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.
https://wwals.net/issues/titanium-mining/

Tribal Grounds west along GA 94 to TPM equipment, 12:38:38.
Photo: John S. Quarterman for WWALS, on Southwings flight, pilot Allen Nodorft, 2019-10-05.
2019-10-06: Heavy equipment on TPM titanium mining site near Okefenokee Swamp 2019-10-05,

Closeup: equipment, 12:41 PM, Saturday, October 5, 2019.
2019-10-03: John S. Quarterman, WWALS, October 3, 2019, Full page ad by titanium miners in Charlton County Herald 2019-09-25,

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:...

Figure 8. Drawdown 2930 days

The ad says, “Frankly, I'm tired of talk.” Well, there's an easy solution: withdraw the applications and go back to Alabama.
2019-09-24: TTM groundwater withdrawal and use permit application to GA-EPD 2019-07-24,

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.
2019-09-20: GA-EPD cites Suwannee Riverkeeper and US EPA against TPM titanium mine near Okefenokee Swamp 2019-09-12,
“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.”
2019-09-13: Comments: 20,338 on titanium mining near Okefenokee Swamp –USACE 2019-09-12, and they won't say they won't read comments sent in after the deadline, so....
2019-09-12: Deny or EIS, titanium mining near Okefenokee Swamp –Suwannee Riverkeeper for WWALS 2019-09-12
2019-09-12: Deadline: today to comment to USACE against titanium mine near Okefenokee Swamp 2019-09-12
2019-09-08: Jesup deja vu times two: DuPont, Chemours, Twin Pines, titanium mining, Folkston, Starke
2019-08-30: Need EIS, public hearings –Okefenokee Swamp Park to USACE about titanium mine 2019-08-22
2019-08-28: Okefenokee overflight with GA Rep. John Corbett 2019-08-24
2019-08-27: Charlton County Resolution supporting the proposed titanium mine near the Okefenokee 2019-08-15
2019-08-24: WCTV on mining proposed near Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge 2019-08-21

“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.”

Photo: John S. Quarterman, Okefenokee NWR Entrance Sign, 2019-07-18
2019-08-19: Charlton County Commission passed resolution supporting titanium mine near Okefenokee Swamp 2019-08-15
2019-08-15: Mining Resolution Premature --Suwannee Riverkeeper to Charlton County 2019-08-15
2019-08-13: John S. Quarterman, Charlton County Herald, 13 August 2019, Swamp more important than miners under Consent Order in Florida
2019-08-11: Consent Order, FDEP v. Chemours involving Twin Pines Minerals 2019-02-07
2019-08-11: Bring pictures of people, animals, plants, and mining to Charlton County
2019-08-09: Animals opposing titanium mine near Okefenokee Swamp 2019-08-13-14
2019-07-23: Charlton County Herald on proposed titanium mine near Okefenokee Refuge 2019-07-23
2019-07-23: QUARTERMAN: Swamp, Suwannee more valuable than titanium in VDT 2019-07-23
2019-07-18: Charlton County, GA, BOCC 2019-07-18
2019-07-19: Deadline Extended to September 14 12 on mining proposal near Okefenokee NWR 2019-07-19
2019-07-17: Complete permit application, Twin Pines Minerals.
2019-07-16: GPB on mining proposal near Okefenokee NWR 2019-07-15
2019-07-14: Titanium mine near Okefenokee NWR 2019-07-12

Summaries

Georgia Conservancy, Mining Threatens the Okefenokee Swamp
St. Marys Earthkeepers, A Threat to the Okefenokee Swamp,

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.”
One Hundred Miles, Take Action to Protect Okefenokee Swamp

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.....
National Wildlife Refuge Association, 9 August 2019, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Threatened by Proposed Strip Mine,

...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....

News

Here are links to news stories, followed by Editorials, Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor, and Associated Press.

If you know of a story, editorial, etc. that is not in here, please send it to contact@suwanneeriverkeeper.org.

News Stories

The numbers are in time order, and will change as new articles are added to the top.

2023-01-20: Russ Bynam, AP in Fox 5 Atlanta, January 20, 2023, Regulators move mine plan near Okefenokee Swamp a big step forward
2023-01-19: Marisa Mecke, Savannah Morning News, January 19, 2023, Public comments for Okefenokee Swamp mining plans are open
2023-01-19: Hannah Northey, E&E News, January 19, 2023, Georgia regulators release plans for mine near Okefenokee
2023-01-01: Terry Richards, Yahoo News and Valdosta Daily Times, January 1 2023, Valdosta on record opposing mining operation
2022-12-07: Russ Bynam, AP in the AJC, 7 December 2022, Interior secretary: `Unacceptable’ to mine near famed swamp
2022-06-27: Drew Kann, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 27, 2022, Mining company sues over Army Corps’ ruling on Okefenokee mine.
2022-06-27: Drew Kann, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 27, 2022, Mining company sues over Army Corps’ ruling on Okefenokee mine
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),

Article

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.
2022-06-07: Valdosta Today, June 7, 2022, Army Corps blocks strip mine near Okefenokee,

“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.”

Okefenokee Swamp, Mine site, Ossoff, Connor

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
2022-06-03: Russ Bynum, Associated Press, June 3, 2022, Agency ruling delivers big setback to Okefenokee mining plan: A federal agency has delivered a big setback to a company’s controversial plan to mine at the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp’s vast wildlife refuge
2022-05-25: Kyra Purvis, WFXL, Wednesday, May 25th 2022, Senator Jon Ossoff is advocating for the protection of the Okefenokee swamp,

Sen. Ossoff at the Okefenokee Swamp 2021-05-14

...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.
2022-02-11: Bobby Magill, Bloomberg Law, February 11, 2022, Republicans Try to Protect Famed Swamp Amid Wetlands Fight,

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....
2022-02-10: Kyra Purvis, Fox31 (Albany, GA), February 10, 2022, Major titanium mining company commits to protecting the Okefenokee swamp,
..."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/.
2022-02-10: Mary Landers, The Current, New bill aims to protect Okefenokee Swamp from mining: Bipartisan bill attracts 18 backers, including coastal Reps. Ron Stephens, Jesse Petrea, Don Hogan, Al Williams, and Bill Hitchens,

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.”...
2022-02-10: Gordon Jackson, The Brunswick News, February 10, 2022, Proposed legislation to stop proposed mining near Okefenokee,

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....
2022-02-09: Emily Jones, WABE, Georgia lawmakers move to block mine near Okefenokee 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....
2022-02-09: Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder, February 9, 2022, Bipartisan group of Georgia lawmakers push bill to prevent Okefenokee mining
2022-02-09: Dave Williams, Capitol Beat News Service, February 9, 2022, Georgia House bill would ban mining near Okefenokee Swamp.
2022-02-08: Savannah Business Journal Staff Report, February 8, 2022, Feb. 8 - Okefenokee Swamp Day to be proclaimed at Capital
2022-02-08: Hannah Northey and Jael Holzman, E&E News, February 8, 2022, Ga. titanium mine caught in WOTUS crosshairs,

...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....
2022-02-07: Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge receives welcome news on mining damage threat: The Chemours Co., a chemical company that is a spinoff of DuPont, will not purchase a mine next to Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, which is the largest blackwater wetland in North America and a National Natural Landmark.
2022-02-05: Zoe Nicholson, Savannah Morning News, February 5, 2022, Company with DuPont ties vows not to mine titanium near Okefenokee Swamp,

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.

Sen. Jon Ossoff bumps elbows with US FWS employee Sara Aicher at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Sen. Jon Ossoff
2022-02-04: Drew Kann, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February, 4, 2022, Titanium giant deals blow to controversial mine near Okefenokee: Announcement doesn’t change mining plans,

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.
2022-01-24: Bobby Magill, Bloomberg Law, January 24, 2022, Army Corps’ Credibility Seen at Stake in Swamp, Mine Legal Fight

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....
2022-01-17: David Pendered, SaportaReport, January 17, 2022, Electric vehicle, plastic recycling plants join coal ash, Okefenokee Swamp as concerns,

...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....
2022-01-14: AP, January 15, 2022, Tightened federal water protections won’t slow some projects
2022-01-07: Michael Doyle, E&E News, January 7, 2022, Ga. senator seeks review of proposed mine near Okefenokee
2022-01-07: Zoe Nicholson, Savannah Morning News, January 7, 2022, Sen. Ossoff calls on EPA, Army Corps to halt titanium mine near Okefenokee Swamp
2022-01-07: Sen. Jon Ossoff, Press Release, January 7, 2022, Sen. Ossoff Calls on EPA, Army Corps to Protect Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge,

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.
2022-01-05: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, HQ USACE Regulatory, January 5, 2022, 5 January 2022 – Navigable Waters Protection Rule Vacatur,

...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.
2022-01-03: David Pendered, Saporta Report, January 3, 2022 5:13 pm, Okefenokee Swamp mining proposal could be affected by Supreme Court ruling.
2021-12-09: Gordon Jackson, The Brunswick News, December 9, 2021, Scientists join to oppose mining near Okefenokee,

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....
2021-12-01: Emily Jones, WABE, December 1, 2021, Scientists decry mining plan near Okefenokee,

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....
2021-11-17: Terry Richards, Valdosta Daily Times, November 17, 2021, Valdosta council opposes swamp mine plan (see also WWALS blog post),

Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson; Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman; Map: Okefenokee Swamp, Valdosta, mine site

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....
2021-11-16: Valdosta Today, November 16, 2021, Valdosta passes resolution opposing strip mine near Okefenokee Swamp (see WWALS PR),

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
The resolution further asks....
2021-11-15: Kyra Purvis, WFXL, November 15, 2021, The city of Valdosta is working together to protect Okefenokee Swamp (see also WWALS blog post and WWALS PR),

The city of Valdosta is working together to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from a proposed strip mine being placed near the area.

Reporter, Mayor, Suwannee Riverkeeper, mine in WWALS Suwannee River Basin map
2021-11-14: Johnson City Press (Tennessee), November 14, 2021, Valdosta City Council passes resolution opposing mine near Okefenokee (see WWALS PR).
2021-05-09: Bryce Ethridge, Valdosta Daily Times, 9 May 2021, OSSOFF: Lawmaker tries Valdosta's new public transit system; answers questions about mining near Okefenokee Swamp (WWALS blog post),

Okefenokee

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.
XXX Fill in missing news articles here.
2019-03-27: David Pendered, Saporta Report, March 27, 2020, Army Corps advised smaller footprint for proposed mine near Okefenokee Swamp.
2020-03-13: Cyd Hoskinson, WJCT, Mining Company Scales Back Okefenokee Swamp Proposal
2020-03-02: Gordon Jackson, The Brunswick News, March 2, 2020, Mining opposition crosses state line,

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.
2020-02-24: Emily Jones of GPB & Rickey Bevington, WJCT, February 24, 2020, With Mining Near Okefenokee On Hold, Reactions Are Mixed
2020-02-19: Southwings, Facebook, February 19, 2020, We applaud U.S. Rep. Al Lawson for taking a stand to protect the future of the Okefenokee Swamp.

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!
2020-02-07: Nedra Rhone, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 7, 2020 (WWALS blog post), BREAKING: Mining company withdraws permit application for project near Okefenokee
2020-01-31: Dave Williams, SavannahNow, January 31, 2020, Coastal Georgia senator wants closer look at mine project near Okefenokee Swamp, also in Athens Banner-Herald,

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....
2020-01-30: Tribune News Service, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 30, 2020, Opposition growing to proposed Okefenokee titanium mine: Mining company wants to open site near swamp’s southern end,

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.
2019-12-10: From staff reports (see WWALS PR), Albany Herald, December 10, 2019, Groups speak out against proposed titanium mine,

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.

For much more information, see: wwals.net/issues/titanium-mining/.
2019-11-21: Johna Strickland Rush Tribune & Georgian, Brunswick, GA, November 21, 2019, St. Marys River, nearby waterways make Dirty Dozen list,
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.
2019-11-17: Collin Kelley, AtlantaIntownPaper, November 17, 2019, Georgia Water Coalition unveils 2019 Dirty Dozen report,
- Okefenokee Swamp: Proposed 2,400-acre titanium mine threatens signature landscape of Georgia....
2019-11-15: Jill Nolin, Georgia Recorder, November 15, 2019 (and Valdosta Daily Times, November 18, 2019), Oily aftermath of wrecked cargo ship on list of ‘Georgia's Dirty Dozen',

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.
2019-11-15: Molly Samuel, WABE, November 15, 2019, In Georgia Water Report, Groups Call Attention To Coal Ash,

New concerns include a proposal for a titanium mine near the Okefenokee Swamp and the overturned cargo ship that leaked oil into the St. Simons Sound and remains stuck there.
2019-11-14: Marah Brock, Fox28Media, November 14, 2019, Report: 4 southeast Georgia waterways pose health risk to residents, wildlife,
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....
- Okefenokee Swamp: Proposed 2,400-acre titanium mine threatens signature landscape of Georgia....
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.
2019-11-14: Staff Reports, CoosaValleyNews, November 14, 2019, GEORGIA'S LEADING WATER ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS RELEASED THEIR “DIRTY DOZEN” FOR 2019,
- Okefenokee Swamp: Proposed 2,400-acre titanium mine threatens signature landscape of Georgia....
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.
2019-11-14: Emily Jones, GPB, November 14, 2019, Water Coalition Releases 'Dirty Dozen' List Of Pollution Threats,

A controversial mining proposal near the Okefenokee Swamp and the capsized cargo ship Golden Ray, which has spilled oil in St. Simons Sound, were both listed in this year's report.
2019-09-20: Jamie Ertle, WTOC, 20 September 2019, EPA weighs in on mining proposal for Okefenokee Swamp,

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.”...
2019-09-19: Mary Landers, Savannahnow, 19 September 2019, Agencies: Application for mining near Okefenokee incomplete,

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.”
2019-09-19: Stanley Dunlap The Georgia Recorder, Valdosta Daily Times, 19 September 2019, Thousands voice Okefenokee mining concerns,

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.”
2019-09-19: SELC PR September 19, 2019, Laundry list of reasons why mining next to the Okefenokee Swamp is a bad idea: SELC and partners urge Corps to deny weak permit,

“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.”
2019-09-18: Nedra Rhone, AJC, September 18, 2019, Mining project could cause ‘unacceptable’ impact to Okefenokee says EPA.
2019-09-13: Nedra Rhone, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 13 September 2019, Mining proposal near Okefenokee draws more than 20K comments from public
2019-09-09: Mary Landers, SavannahNow, 9 September 2019, For Okefenokee supporters, proposed mine too close to refuge, with aerial video and still pictures.
2019-09-03: Emma Hurt, WABE, September 3, 2019, A Familiar Story, Different Details: The Latest Proposal To Mine The Okefenokee

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.”
2019-08-31: Rena Peck Stricker, GRN E.D., Georgia River Network Confluence, 31 August 2019, Mining Near the Okefenokee: A Bad Idea Then and Now,

State Rep. John Corbett and GRN Executive Director Rena Peck Stricker flew over the proposed Twin Pines mining site adjacent to the Okefenokee Swamp.

Go to Georgia River Network’s webpage to learn more and submit your concerns to the Corps: https://garivers.org/priority-issues
2019-08-28: Gordon Jackson, The Brunswick News, 28 August 2019, Getting the aerial perspective on a titanium mining project
2019-08-23: Julia Widmann, Waterkeeper Alliance, August 23, 2019, Suwannee Riverkeeper Fights to Protect Okefenokee Swamp from Titanium Strip Mine

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.
2019-08-21: Emma Wheeler, WCTV, 21 August 2019, Heavy mining facility proposed near Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
2019-08-20: Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder,20 August 2019, Meetings last week surface debate: Could mining drain Okefenokee?,

...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....
2019-08-20: Mary Jo Dilonardo, Mother Nature News, 20 August 2019, Proposal to mine near Okefenokee Swamp raises old fears
2019-08-17: Jim Tatum, Our Santa Fe River, 17 August 2019, Twin Pines Minerals Meeting a Disappointment,

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.
2019-08-16: Southern Environmental Law Center, 16 August 2019, SELC shares Georgians’ concerns about proposed titanium mine near Okefenokee Swamp,

“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.
2019-08-15: Emily Jones, GPB, 15 August 2019, Charlton County Backs Proposed Mining Near Okefenokee,

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 Corps is accepting public comment through Sept. 12.

Bits of that GPB story were picked up by AP.
2019-08-15: Dave Williams, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Georgia Conservancy raising concerns about proposed mining near Okefenokee Swamp

...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
2019-08-14: From the Ground Up, YouTube, 14 August 2019, TTL Twin Pines Minerals.
2019-08-14: Alexander Osiadacz, FirstCoast News, Published: 4:56 PM EDT August 14, 2019, Updated: 6:16 PM EDT August 14, 2019, Public concern over proposed titanium strip mine near Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge: Just outside the boundary of the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge is where Twin Pines, an Alabama mining company wants to setup shop.

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."....
2019-08-14: Gordon Jackson, Brunswick News, 14 August 2019, Twin Pines explains plans to mine near Okefenokee,

...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.”
2019-08-14: Emily Jones, Georgia Public Broadcasting, 14 August, 2019, 150 Attend Information Session On Mining Near Okefenokee,

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.
2019-08-13: David Pendered, Saporta Report, 12 August 2019, Okefenokee Swamp: Proposed sand mine may have national security implications,

... 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.
2019-08-12: Austen Erblat, South Florida Sun Sentinel, 12 August 2019, Federal report shows wildlife refuge added millions to Palm Beach County’s economy,

...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....
2019-08-09: Nedra Rhone, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mining proposal raises concerns about future of Okefenokee Swamp
2019-07-29: Marla Ogletree, Charlton County Herald, 23 July 2019, Twin Pines seeks permit for heavy mineral mining in Okefenokee area (WWALS blog post)
2019-07-19: Emily Jones, Georgia Public Broadcasting, July 19, 2019, Army Corps Extends Comment Deadline On Mining Near Okefenokee (WWALS blog post: Deadline Extended to September 12 on mining proposal near Okefenokee NWR 2019-07-19),

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.

....
2019-07-18: Mindy Morris, Tribune-Georgia (St. Mary's, GA), July 18, 2019, Strip mine proposed near Okefenokee wildlife refuge,

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.”
2019-07-16: Alexander Osiadacz, FirstCoastNews (WTLV TV, Jacksonville, FL), July 16, 2019, Titanium mine proposed near Okefenokee Refuge: An Alabama company – Twin Pines Minerals – applied for a permit with the Army Corps of Engineers to mine the area for titanium.
2019-07-16: Emily Jones and Rickey Bevington, Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB Radio News), 16 July 2019, Corps Of Engineers Seeks Public Comment On Okefenokee Mining
2019-07-16: Mary Landers, SavannahNow, July 15, 2019, Strip mining planned next to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge; contains 300 jobs promise by miners
2019-07-15: Emily Jones, Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB Radio News), 15 July 2019, Mining Proposed Near Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
(WWALS blog post: GPB on mining proposal near Okefenokee NWR 2019-07-15)

Editorials

The numbers are in time order, and will change as more are added at the top.

2019-09-07: Editorial, Savannah Morning News, September 7, 2019, Editorial: Make voices heard on Okefenokee mining,

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....
2019-08-20: John McCosh, Georgia Reporter, August 20, 2019, Shine more sunlight on plans to mine near treasured Okefenokee
2019-07-17: Editorial, Brunswick News, July 17, 2019, Mining facility should be shelved if it hurts refuge

Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor

The numbers are newest first, so which op-ed is #1 will change as more get published.

2020-01-14: Mark Lyons, Charlton County Herald, January 14, 2020, Letter to the Editor: Response to City of Folkston, Development Authority (WWALS blog post)
2019-12-31: John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper, Charlton County Herald, December 31, 2019, U.S. EPA still says mine would have substantial and unacceptable impact,

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: https://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:...
2019-12-23: The City of Folkston and Charlton County Development Authority, Charlton County Herald, December 23, 2019, Letter to the Editor: Development Authority supports Twin Pines,

Dear Editor,

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

Board of Directors
2019-12-10: Alex Kearns, Charlton County Herald, December 10, 2019, Potential titanium mine threatens local economy,

Dear Editor,

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.

Alex Kearns,

St. Marys

EarthKeepers
2019-11-26: Barrett King, Charlton County Herald, November 26, 2019, Letter to the Editor: You don’t have to do a thing, but protect it,

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?

Barrett King,

St. Marys
2019-11-22: Raydan Wilder, Charlton County Herald, November 22(?), 2019, Twin Pines Fails to Answer,

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.

Raydan Wilder
2019-11-06: Robert L. Nutter, Charlton County Herald, November 6, 2019, Do not allow Twin Pines to wreak havoc on Okefenokee,

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.
2019-10-30: Patricia Griffin, Charlton County Herald, October 30, 2019, Leave it this way and leave it alone,

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!
2019-10-30: Dr. Andrea L. Gunn, Charlton County Herald, October 30, 2019, There are no guarantees,

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.
2019-10-31: Charles F. Arwood, Charlton County Herald, October 23, 2019, Mining Ruined Family Field,

However, I can say that the strip mining by Dupont in Bradford County did do a lot of harm to my Grandfather’s strawberry farm!
2019-10-23: Christian Hunt, Charlton County Herald, October 23, 2019, Twin Pines should not be given the keys to the Okefenokee,

...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....
2019-10-09: John S. Quarterman, Charlton County Herald, October 9, 2019, Convenience of private profit is no excuse to risk Okefenokee,

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....

Convenience of private profit is no excuse to risk Okefenokee --Suwannee Riverkeeper

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.
John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
2019-10-01: Alex Kearns, Charlton County Herald, October 1, 2019, That's Your Job,

Dear Editor,

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.

Alex Kearns,
Chair, St. Marys,
EarthKeepers, Inc.
2019-09-25: Steve Ingle, Charlton County Herald, September 25, 2019, Twin Pines Minerals, LLC Opposition is easy… If you don’t have to prove your point,

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.
2019-09-07: Christian Hunt, Florida Times Union, September 7, 2019, Guest Column: Mining has no place near the Okefenokee swamp,

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.”
2019-08-29: Rena Peck Stricker, GRN E.D., SavannahNow, 29 August 2019, Mining next to Okefenokee remains a bad idea,

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.

Rena Peck Stricker

Executive director

Georgia River Network
2019-08-20: Mark Lyons Charlton County Herald, 20 August 2019, It's a shame to silence and gag majority,

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!
2019-08-17: Alex Kearns of St. Marys Earthkeepers was first with a followup op-ed, in the Brunswick News, 17 August 2019, Speak out against Twin Pines proposal

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.
2019-08-15: Jackie Gingrich Cushman, TownHall.com, 15 August 2019, Being Good Stewards of Our Earth,

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
2019-08-13: John S. Quarterman, Charlton County Herald, 13 August 2019, Swamp more important than miners under Consent Order in Florida

Suwannee Riverkeeper op-ed 2019-08-13
2019-07-22: W.S. Stuckey, Brunswick News, Okefenokee refuge impact area in several ways,

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.

W.S. Stuckey, Jr.

Sea Island
2019-07-21: Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, Valdosta Daily Times, page 4A, July 24, 2019, and online July 21: QUARTERMAN: Swamp, Suwannee more valuable than titanium (WWALS blog post updated for more recent developments: QUARTERMAN: Swamp, Suwannee more valuable than titanium in VDT 2019-07-23)

...
“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.

...
2019-07-20: Alice Keyes, 100 Miles, Brunswick News, Okefenokee refuge should be protected,

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.

Alice Keyes
Brunswick
2019-07-18: Mark Lyons, Baker County Press, July 18, 2019, Seeks comments on proposed mining

Op-ed-BC-Press-Twin-Pines-0001
PDF

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.

How to Comment

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.

Mark Lyons, Glen St. Mary

Associated Press

A third AP story, derived from a GPB story, got as far as the west coast:

AP, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 August 2019, County officials vote to favor mining near Okefenokee refuge,

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....

And this second AP story got a lot of pickups:

2019-07-19: Russ Bynum, Associated Press, 19 July 2019, Agency says mining near Okefenokee poses ‘substantial risks’

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.
- Brunswick, GA, Brunswick News
- National, U.S. News & World Report
- Watertown, SD, KXLG
- Washington, DC, The Washington Post
- Wisconsin, WiscNews
- Rome, GA, Rome News-Tribune
- Grand Island, NE, The Grand Island Independent
- Rock Hill, NC, Rock Hill Herald
- Las Vegas, NV, Fox 5, KVVU-TV
- Mankato, MN, The Makato Free Press,
- San Francisco, CA, San Francisco Chronicle,
- And many more.