Okefenokee mining protection bills do not advance House
ATLANTA (WSAV) — Two bills proposed to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from mining did not advance through the House Thursday.
The bills were aimed at Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals' plan to strip mine for titanium dioxide, staurolite and zircon around three miles from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge's Trail Ridge. The Trail Ridge is 'the ancient sand dune that serves as an earthen dam for the swamp,' GRN said, and is essential for hydrology in the Okefenokee and surrounding areas like the St. Mary River.
House Bill 561 would have prohibited future mining along the Okefenokee's Trail Ridge, a GRN spokesperson said. If passed, it would've prohibited the director of the EPD 'from issuing, modifying, or renewing any permit or accepting any bond to conduct surface mining operations on Trail Ridge for future permit applications and amendments,' the bill said.
The second bill, HB 562, would've place a five-year moratorium, or hold, on mining along the Okefenokee's Trail Ridge. GRN said that this hold would've provide state regulators and independent scientists time to evaluate how mining at the Twin Pines site could impact groundwater levels under and near the swamp.
The five-year timeline would've aligned with the Twin Pines demo mine duration, which includes four years of active mining plus one year groundwater recovery monitoring.
The Okefenokee mining bills were sponsored by several Republicans in Georgia's coastal areas, including Thomasville's Darlene Taylor, Savannah's Ron Stephens and St. Mary's Rep. Steven Sainz. Gerald Greene (R) of Cuthbert, Debbie Buckner (D) of Junction City and Carolyn Hugley (D) of Columbus also sponsored the bills.
Proposals that didn't pass Thursday could still be brought up again later, but it can be more difficult to advance them. They could also be considered next year since this 2025 is the first year of a two-year session.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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