On the Thursday, Dec. 26 edition of Georgia Today: More in-custody deaths than in any other year for the Georgia Department of Corrections; Georgia's peanut crops were significantly smaller than usual; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a step closer to becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The federal government is seeking public input on a proposal that would allow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire property near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge that could soon be mined.

More than 70,000 comments have already poured into the state Environmental Protection Division as the public comment period wraps up on draft permits greenlighting mining near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Despite momentum earlier in the 2024 session, the bill failed to get a final vote in the Senate.

A bill sponsored by Lake Park Republican Rep. John Corbett would block state regulators from accepting any new permit applications for dragline mining for heavy mineral sands in areas where permits have not been previously issued but would not stop an Alabama-based company from moving forward with a 582-acre demonstration proposal planned for Trail Ridge near the refuge.

Late Friday afternoon, the state Environmental Protection Division announced its decision to issue draft permits to Twin Pines, triggering a 60-day public comment period. 

Opponents of the mining proposal are trying to ramp up pressure on lawmakers to pass a measure that some see as the best shot at protecting the ridge from mining. 

Georgia's EPD alleges that the company that wants to mine near Okefenokee failed to get the required bonding, licensing for the early effort. 

“Okefenokee,” a new song recorded by Michelle Malone, hopes to raise awareness of the threat of mining to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. 

The National Park Service announced Friday that the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge will be nominated as a World Heritage Site, which moves forward the proposal four decades after the refuge was first considered a contender for the honor. 

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has reiterated his call for the state to reject permits for a planned titanium mine near the Okefenokee Swamp.

Peat, the foundation of the Okefenokee Swamp and of wetlands around the world, serves as an important global hedge against climate change.

The push by a large coalition of Georgia legislators to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining failed this session even before legislators could vote on a panel to study ways to protect the diverse wildlife refuge.

The two sides battling in the nearly four-year saga over whether an Alabama company should be allowed to move forward with its plans to mine the site for titanium dioxide and zirconium were allowed to make their case to lawmakers during a two-hour public hearing held Tuesday. 

While an Alabama-based company’s controversial mining proposal moves through the permitting process, a south Georgia Republican lawmaker is again attempting to head off any future attempt to mine an important site near the Okefenokee Swamp.