Act to Protect a Precious Environment
The Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia is a National Wilderness Area of more than 400,000 acres - the largest wildlife refuge in the eastern United States. It's been nominated to become the first refuge with UNESCO World Heritage Site status and it is critically important to the region.
Image of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge by Moultrie Creek used under CC license.
Since 2019, the Twin Pines company has proposed to build and operate an 8,000-acre heavy mineral sand strip mine on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. Though there has been tremendous public outcry against permitting the mining operation, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) published draft permits for the mining operation on February 9, 2024. That started a 60-day public comment period.
We're not opposed to mining. We are opposed to mining using the proposed method in the proposed location. We are concerned that the proposed mine fails to meet its burdens under the Surface Mining Act and its use of groundwater will adversely affect other water uses in the area.
A Non-Essential, Abundant Element
We’re particularly concerned about taking such a significant risk (a strip mining operation using groundwater on the edge of a could-soon-be world heritage site) only to produce a common commodity. The titanium that would be mined is plentiful.
Titanium can be used in metal alloys for manufacturing everything from watches to aircraft and medical implants. The most common use for titanium is in titanium dioxide, a whitening agent used in toothpaste and other household products.
Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the Earth's crust. You likely own some titanium.. and not just in your toothpaste. Some 24 karat gold isn't actually pure gold; it’s an alloy gold and titanium. One percent titanium is added to make the metal more durable than pure gold though the tiny amount of titanium and 99% gold still qualifies as 24 karat gold.
It doesn’t make sense to risk one of our nation’s most vibrant wetland ecosystems to mine a mineral that’s easily found elsewhere.
How to Comment
The Georgia Conservancy is helping to keep interested parties up to date on the issue. They're maintaining a webpage with updates on the mining proposal. You can also find information on the website of the Okefenokee Protection Alliance, a coalition of more than 40 conservation organizations representing millions of members.
If you wish to comment, you may share your thoughts with the Georgia EPD via the following email address: TwinPines.Comment@dnr.ga.gov We have spoken against the mining proposal as we understand it by submitting a comment and hope you’ll lend your voice.
Lately, elected and appointed officials are using language such as "this isn't a popularity contest" when speaking about the possibility of permitting the mining operation and the public outcry against it. Politicians use that sort of language when they're planning to ignore against popular opinion. (At least the opinion most commonly heard.) It's good to remind them that elections for our representatives at all levels of government are literally popularity contests.
The Georgia General Assembly to the Rescue?
The Georgia General Assembly is in session for forty days in the first few months of each year. A calendar is usually published at the beginning of the session so legislators and the public will know the days in which the legislature will be in session.
The 2024 session will conclude on Thursday March 28th. That’s earlier than other years though the elected officials are anxious to get out among their constituents and onto the campaign trail in this election year.
They have little time left to intervene in this issue. Legislation that would create a three-year moratorium on mining in the area proposed has stalled in committee. It would be very helpful for the legislature to take action so private entities can develop a solution.
Deja Vu All Over Again?
If this issue seems familiar, that’s because the DuPont company made a similar proposal in the 1990s. That attempt was rebuffed by conservationists though DuPont didn’t walk away empty handed.
In 1997, Georgia Governor Zell Miller and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich (GA) worked with the Clinton administration to dissuade DuPont from mining in the same area. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt’s assessment was quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper: “Titanium is a common mineral, while the Okefenokee is a very uncommon swamp.”
DuPont received a $90 million settlement and donated 16,000 acres of adjacent land to the wildlife refuge. This may be part of Twin Pines’ calculus: they either get a payoff to walk away or a payday from the titanium mined on the property.
In Conclusion
There are many concerned that the government shouldn’t tell a private land owner what to do on its property. They cast this issue as a property rights concern. Though the government at all levels is constantly regulating what can be done on our properties, there should be some moderation and respect for property rights.
The solution for this issue seems to be working with Twin Pines to place the land into a conservation trust so the boundary along Trail Ridge will be protected indefinitely. A moratorium would help that negotiation along by stopping progress and starting a clock for finding a solution.
In this case, the solution seems to be cobbling together funds to buy the property or rights from Twin Pines. We hope a moratorium and conservation easement will be the solution so we can move onto other issues that demand our attention.
Other Posts of Interest:
Should the Twin Pines Mine be Permitted?
How to Find Risk Factors for a Home
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