As Comment Period Ends, Thousands Push Back Against Proposed Mine Next to the Okefenokee Swamp

Today marks the end of a second public comment period in which the American public had the opportunity to voice their opposition to a proposed mining operation abutting the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. 

The mining company, Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, plans to eventually excavate 12,000 acres of land—the operations of which could eventually come within 400 feet of the swamp—which, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, could permanently damage the entire 438,000-acre ecosystem. 

44,220 members and activists from conservation groups submitted comments opposing the project, bringing the total of comments, over the course of two public comment periods, to well over 60,000, with comments submitted from all 50 states. This follows a virtual hearing, held by the Army Corps of Engineers, in which attendance reached maximum capacity, demonstrating continued public concern.

Twin Pines has desperately tried to avoid any scrutiny of its project, whether public or scientific. After being notified by the Army Corps of Engineers that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be required of its project, Twin Pines withdrew its original permit application in February of 2020. Shortly thereafter, the company submitted a second application for a smaller project area, designed to circumvent the EIS process and the scientific review that would follow.

Christian Hunt, Southeast representative at Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement: 

"When the prospect of rigorous scientific review has gotten in its way, Twin Pines has tried to gain access to the swamp by cheating the system. These 44,000 comments show the public won’t stand for it and that mining will never have a place next to this world-renowned resource. The Army Corps of Engineers should heed the public’s demands and reject this ill-conceived project."  

Background:
•    In April 2020, American Rivers added the Okefenokee Swamp and St. Marys River to its annual “America’s Most Endangered Rivers” list, citing the effects that mining would have on  clean water, wetlands and wildlife habitat.
•    At 438,000 acres, the Okefenokee swamp is a vast labyrinth of dripping cypress forests, pine islands, lily ponds, and blackwater channels, most of which are protected within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the largest refuge east of the Mississippi.
•    Thousands of species, including the imperiled gopher tortoise and wood stork, call its unspoiled habitat home, as do upwards of 12,000 American alligators. 
•    The Okefenokee swamp attracts 600,000 tourists annually, generates $64 million in local economic output and supports over 750 local jobs.
•    The Okefenokee has faced similar threats before—in the 1990s, chemical giant DuPont sought to mine a titanium mineral deposit on the rim of the swamp. Following intense backlash, DuPont walked away from the controversial project.   
•    Twin Pines Minerals, LLC was recently cited by Florida officials for violating mining safeguards.