Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
REPOSTED August 21, 2019
On July 12, 2019, Twin Pines Minerals submitted a Clean Water Act permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) seeking permission to mine for titanium and other heavy minerals in a 2,414-acre area less than 4 miles from the Okefenokee Swamp Refuge.
The 2,414 acre site is located North of Georgia Highway 94, West of Georgia Highway 23, and East of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Saint George, Charlton County, Georgia.
In a recent post on Savannah Now https://www.savannahnow.com/news/20190715/strip-mining-planned-next-to-okefenokee-national-wildlife-refuge it was reported:
The 635-square-mile Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the largest blackwater swamp North America, drew more than 600,000 visitors from the U.S. and 40 other countries over the last year and a half, said Susie Heisey, the supervisory refuge ranger. They experienced what National Geographic named one of the 100 most beautiful places on the planet.
“One of the coolest things about the Okefenokee is that it’s basically an intact ecosystem,” said Refuge Manager Michael Lusk, noting that the Everglades, while larger, had been ditched and drained. And while there once was logging in some parts of the Okefenokee, the swamp has been protected for more than 80 years. “What we have now is a large intact, functioning ecosystem and that is so rare, especially in the eastern U.S.”
The applicant is proposing to operate a heavy mineral sand mining facility on approximately 12,000 acres comprised of six (6) different tracts of land. The first mining phase is the currently proposed project area of 2,414 acres which includes portions of the Keystone, Adirondack, and TIAA tracts.
The area will be mined in phases. Each phase will be mined at approximately 25-40 acres per month and backfilled and graded within approximately 30 days following excavation. Planting will occur during the appropriate planting season. The depth of mining across the property will vary based on the resource but will average 50 feet below land surface, with the exception of the TIAA property, where it will be mined 25 feet below land surface. Impacts to aquatic resources for Phase I of the project as stated by the applicant are: Temporary impacts to 522-acres of wetlands and 2,454 linear feet of tributaries, and permanent impacts to 65 acres of wetlands and 4,658 linear feet of tributaries.
This idea was previously proposed in the 1990’s by the DuPont Company, but abandoned after government opposition and public outcry.
Suwannee Riverkeeper John Quarterman has questioned the effectiveness of replanting measures such as Twin Pines has proposed.
Two recent public meetings have been packed with project opponents.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has extended the public comment period on the proposal to September 12, 2019.
Comments can be submitted in writing or by email to the addresses below and should refer to the applicant’s name and application number.SAS-2018-00554
Applicant: Steven R. Ingle, Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, 2100 Southbridge Parkway, Birmingham, Alabama 35209
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Attention: Ms. Holly Ross, 1104 North Westover Boulevard Suite 9, Albany, GA 31707 or [email protected]
Significant public opposition to the proposal continues, including an online petition that currently has over 2,000 signatures https://www.thepetitionsite.com/650/696/411/say-no-to-strip-mine-in-the-okefenokee-swamp./