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Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. 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. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 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 '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.' RELATED STORIES Could titanium dioxide mining impact the Okefenokee Swamp? Here's what we've learned Georgia senator backs federal expansion of Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge US Department of Interior to nominate Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp as UNESCO World Heritage Site 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 affect someone's water, it's going to be mine, if there's going to be a wildfire, it's going to affect 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. 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. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 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. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2 House bills introduced to protect Okefenokee
ATLANTA (WSAV) — Two bills were introduced to the Georgia House Thursday with intentions of protecting the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from mining. The bills are 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. The mining project has been hotly contested since they started seeking permits from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) in 2019. House Bill 561 would prohibit future mining along the Okefenokee's Trail Ridge, a GRN spokesperson said. If passed, it would prohibit 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 place a five-year moratorium, or hold, on mining along the Okefenokee's Trail Ridge. GRN said that this hold would 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 align with the Twin Pines demo mine duration, which includes four years of active mining plus one year groundwater recovery monitoring. HB 562 would pause the acceptance of applications for new permits and the acceptance of requests to modify existing permits by the EPD to expand the area of land affected by surface mining operations on Trail Ridge. These bills would allow mining on their nearly demonstration area with a state permit, GRN said, but they would not be able to mine across the rest of their site. The bills would also potentially allow for portions of land, and possible mining rights, to be purchased. This is a similar move to what U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) did when they made the final decision to expand the acquisition boundary of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge by approximately 22,000 acres. The expansion does not immediately add the land to the Refuge, but it would allow the Service to work with willing landowners to acquire lands through fee title or conservation easements. '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. In last year's session, another bill was introduced to place a three-year hold and passed the House but did not receive a floor vote by the Senate. Previous legislation has also been introduced like The Okefenokee Protection Act, but it did not make it through the legislative process. The Okefenokee mining bills are 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. You can read HB 561 here: Georgia-2025-HB561-IntroducedDownload You can read HB 562 here: Georgia-2025-HB562-IntroducedDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
