Close to 300 people attended a virtual hearing Tuesday evening sponsored by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to collect comment on the draft permits issued for Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals’ strip mine near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
About 100 speakers, each allotted two minutes, uniformly spoke against the mining plans and urged EPD to deny the permits. Most also spoke of their love of the Okefenokee, the largest wildlife refuge in the Eastern U.S. and one of the largest intact freshwater ecosystems in the world. No one spoke in support of mining.
Twin Pines has applied for air, water withdrawal and mining permits for its planned 582-acre mine located about three miles from the refuge on a elevated area called Trail Ridge where the company plans to extract titanium dioxide and zirconium. Opponents, including prominent academic scientists, argue the demonstration mine will damage the hydrology of the swamp. Twin Pines insists the demonstration mine will prove the mining can proceed safely. Their plans include future mining on thousands more acres on Trail Ridge.
Several speakers noted that the mining plan did not match the Charlton County comprehensive plan, giving EPD reason to reject it. Others pointed to a recent letter from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asserting federal reserved water rights for the Okefenokee, saying that also required EPD to reject the permits. Still others cited scientific opposition.
Speakers Tuesday were a mix of representatives from environmental groups and non-professional lovers of the swamp, both local and far-flung. Many spoke from their hearts.
“This mining operation stands for greed alone,” said Matthew Gobbi, a Waycross resident who visits the Okefenokee twice a week. “I have not conversed with a solitary human being who is in good spirits pertaining to this mine. It’s exactly the opposite. Everyone who loves and cherishes the Okefenokee is deeply against it. I’m among the hundreds of thousands of visitors and thousands of locals and the 40-plus conservation organizations who in their heart deplore what the mine stands for.”
Most speakers were Georgians but several were from other states, including North Carolina, Florida and Texas. One called from Canada. Speakers included professional geologists and several former EPD employees.
“We implore you to pause and invest time to ensure this project is evaluated correctly using sound scientific principles and is in full compliance with state law,” said Kristen Ritter Rivera, a former EPD employee.
“As you know, Twin Pines Minerals has a poor record of environmental compliance, and as former co-chair of the Georgia State Board of Professional Geologists, I am shocked at the blatant disregard and violation of the requirements of professional geologist licensure, and state laws for drilling and practicing geology in our state, as well as the violation of the Georgia Water Well Standards Act for not initially providing a performance bond or letter of credit to the director prior to implementing their drilling and data collection,” she said.
Will Harlan, the Southeast director and senior scientist at the Center for Biodiversity peppered EPD with questions including the expected impact of daily groundwater withdrawals have on Eastern Indigo snakes and how regulators evaluated the impacts of this proposed permit on other federally listed species including wood storks and red-cockaded woodpeckers.
Bill Sapp of the Southern Environmental Law Center encouraged others to follow Harlan’s example of submitting questions.
“Before EPD makes any final decision, they must listen to, evaluate, and respond in writing to every comment made during this comment period that ends on April 9. … Tell the EPD why you love the swamp and then ask specific questions just like Will Harlan did in his comment just now on what actions EPD is going to take to protect the swamp.”
Written comments can be submitted to twinpines.comment@dnr.ga.gov until 4:30 p.m. April 9. The permits can be reviewed here.