Georgia lawmakers reintroduce bills to protect Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge from mining
Members of the Georgia State House have once again introduced bills to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining threats.
The Okefenokee was named a National Wildlife Refuge in 1937, and provides habitat for many threatened and endangered species, such as red-cockaded woodpeckers, wood storks, and indigo snakes.
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The swamp has been the subject of renewed conservation efforts after an Alabama-based company called Twin Pines Minerals, LLC announced plans for a mine.
Along the eastern rim of the swamp runs a line of ancient sand dunes called Trail Ridge. The sand is rich in minerals -- notably titanium dioxide. Twin Pines wants to mine it for use as a whitening agent for things like sunscreen, toothpaste and paint.
The first 2025 bill, called the Okefenokee Protection Act (House Bill 561), would prohibit the state from permitting or renewing any surface mining operations at Trail Ridge.
A second bill, HB 562, would place a five-year moratorium on mining along Trail Ridge.
Both bills would still allow mining on Twin Pines Minerals, LLC's proposed 'demonstration' area, which is awaiting final permit approval. The Georgia River Network says this temporary ban on areas of the swamp would allow state regulators and researchers time to evaluate how the Twin pines 'demonstration mine' impacts water levels in the swamp.
A similar three-year moratorium passed in the House last year, but never went for a vote in the Senate.
'Both of these bills provide the opportunity for all the legislators and leadership to respond to their constituents to save the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from mining that would harm the swamp and swamp tourism upon which the economies of the local communities depend,' said Rena Ann Peck, executive director of Georgia Rivers.
'Here is another opportunity for the Georgia General Assembly and Governor Kemp to make real what Georgians want to see - the wild heart of Georgia - our Okefenokee Swamp and its Trail Ridge protected forever from mining - and get it done right this session.'
Read: Citing scientific expert's warning, Sen. Ossoff opposes strip mine proposal near Okefenokee Swamp
Some Charlton County leaders, including Commissioner Drew Jones, have advocated in favor of increased mining. He argued the mine will help the local economy by adding new jobs and products out of the county.
'We live by the mine, if it's going to effect someone's water, it's going to be mine, if there's going to be a wildfire, it's going to effect us,' said Jones last year.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is opposed to the Twin Pines mine. Last month, it made a final decision to further expand the Refuge's boundary by approximately 22,000 acres.
Related: 'Simply too special:' Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp one of 'America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2023′
FWS says the new lands will allow them to offer more public uses like hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and education programs to drive ecotourism in the community.
The refuge welcomes more than 400,000 visitors each year.
The Department of the Interior announced last year it is nominating the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to join the UNESCO World Heritage List, among attractions like the Grand Canyon, the Taj Mahal, and the Galapagos Islands.
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