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News Articles: Okefenokee Mining

 A revamped Clean Water Act released in December 2022 restored federal protections for millions of acres of wetlands and other waterways. A proposed mining project that would take place on wetlands located 3 miles from the Okefenokee Wildlifre Refugee was no longer subject to federal water rules jurisdiction when the law was rolled back under President Donald Trump’s administration. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Tagged as: 

  • Environment

U.S. Supreme Court decision in waterways case could come too late for Okefenokee mine foes

A landmark U.S. Supreme Court case could have significant ripple effects on the government’s ability to protect the nation’s waterways.

January 09, 2023
|
By:
  • Stanley Dunlap
A group of visitors return to Stephen C. Foster State Park after an overnight camping trip on the Red Trail in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, April 6, 2022, in Fargo, Ga. Conservation groups filed suit Tuesday, Nov. 15, against a U.S. government agency challenging its decision to allow a mining project to move forward without federal permits near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp's vast wildlife refuge.

Tagged as: 

  • News

Interior secretary: 'Unacceptable' to mine near famed swamp

A member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet is urging Georgia officials to deny permits for a proposed mine near the edge of the famed Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp that the mining project poses "unacceptable risks" to the swamp's fragile ecosystem.

December 08, 2022
|
By:
  • Associated Press
Okefenokee swamp at sunset

Tagged as: 

  • Environment

Fate of mine at Okefenokee Swamp’s edge could soon be cemented by Georgia EPD

 

The firm that wants to mine for heavy minerals near the Okefenokee Swamp scored a major victory Monday after a federal agency reversed its decision to take control of the review process away from Georgia’s environmental agency.

August 23, 2022
|
By:
  • Stanley Dunlap
Georgia Power's Plant Scherer, fronted by the pile of coal being prepped to burn to make electricity, in 2019.

Tagged as: 

  • Environment

Environmentalists' 2021 list of Georgia water problems features old and new issues

Georgia environmental advocates have released their annual list of water issues they say need to be addressed — their so-called Dirty Dozen. 

December 15, 2021
|
By:
  • Grant Blankenship
Alligator in swamp

Tagged as: 

  • Environment

Catholic nuns pressure mining company to protect Okefenokee

Felician Sisters are behind a shareholder resolution to reject mining before it begins in the Okefenokee.

November 17, 2021
|
By:
  • Mary Landers
Okefenokee Swamp

Tagged as: 

  • Environment

Former federal, state officials slam proposed mine at swamps 'doorstep'

Twin Pines Minerals wants to start out by conducting a 740-acre mining demonstration along Trail Ridge, which is a hydrological divide between the swamp and St. Mary's River. But it has signaled it plans to grow its footprint, although the state has said expansion would require new permits.

October 26, 2021
|
By:
  • Jill Nolin
Okefenokee swamp

Tagged as: 

  • Environment

Georgia faith leaders appeal to officials to spare 'sacred' Okefenokee from mine

The allure of new jobs in a rural corner of the state has won over supporters hoping for an economic boost. But the project is controversial, with Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals planning to mine for titanium dioxide along the edge of the wildlife refuge.

October 07, 2021
|
By:
  • Jill Nolin
People at public meeting

Tagged as: 

  • Environment

Environmentalists Bank On State Regulators To Stop Okefenokee Mine

Nearly two years after Alabama’s Twin Pines Minerals publicly unveiled plans to mine heavy minerals near the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge, the company says the project is still a top priority despite potential legal hurdles, and changing environmental rules that loom ahead of its proposal.

June 22, 2021
|
By:
  • Stanley Dunlap
Kayak in Okefenokee Swamp

Tagged as: 

  • Environment

Okefenokee Lovers Still Hope State, Biden Administration Will Halt Mine

Environmentalists hold up the controversial proposal to mine for minerals near the Okefenokee Swamp as a prime example of the lands that lost federal protection under former President Donald Trump’s administration last summer. 

That rule replaced an Obama-era one that opponents criticized as government overreach and shifted the focus of the Twin Pines Minerals’ mining application from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the Ga. Department of Natural Resources, which is now poised to decide the fate of the mining project. 

March 01, 2021
|
By:
  • Stanley Dunlap
The site of a proposed heavy mineral mine near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Comment Deadline Monday For Mining Near Okefenokee

The Army Corps of Engineers on Friday was considering whether to extend the public comment period for a proposal to mine for heavy minerals near the...

April 10, 2020
|
By:
  • Emily Jones
The capsized ship Golden Ray, which has released oil into the surrounding waterways, made the Georgia Water Coalition's "Dirty Dozen" list of pollution threats.

Water Coalition Releases 'Dirty Dozen' List Of Pollution Threats

The Georgia Water Coalition’s annual “Dirty Dozen” list was released Thursday. It highlights serious pollution threats to waterways across the state.

November 14, 2019
|
By:
  • Emily Jones

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