OSFR has spent time and energy in this fight to protect Trail Ridge and the Okefenokee Swamp. Twin Pine Minerals, the mining company, has shown itself to be incompetent and untrustworthy.
Thanks to Betty Johnson for this link.
Read the complete article here at WCTV.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
After 4 years of pushing, advocates once again ask lawmakers for mining protections surrounding Okefenokee Swamp
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Two bills presented at the State Capitol seek to keep mining companies from mining along Trail Ridge, at the edge of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge spans roughly 400,000 acres. It’s one of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems.
HB 561 called “The Okefenokee Protection Act” would ban mining on Trail Ridge.
HB 562 is seen as a “compromise” bill by environmental advocates. It would place a five-year moratorium on surface mining.
RELATED: ‘The swamp tells a story’: The past, present and possible future of the Okefenokee Swamp
The Environmental Protection Division has yet to decide on permitting for Twin Pines Minerals LLC. The company applied to mine titanium dioxide, a mineral found in paint and cellphones.
The bills would not apply to Twin Pines, but rather to mining companies applying for future projects.
The bills were heard in the Natural Resources and Environment Resource Management Subcommittee on Monday. The meeting was hearing only.
On Monday, Folkston Reverend Antwon Nixon traded the idyllic paradise to advocate on behalf of it at the State Capitol.
“We were called to stewardship in the Book of Genesis when Adam was called to till and maintain the Garden of Eden. The Okefenokee is a special place like that,” said Nixon.
RELATED: U.S. to nominate Okefenokee Swamp refuge for listing as UNESCO World Heritage site
“There are times when we have to cancel our trips because the water’s so low,” said Peck.
Charlton County Commissioner Drew Jones testified against the bills.
This summer, Jones showed us the county’s shuttered hospital. He said the county’s tax digest is in desperate need of a boost and jobs that a mining company could bring. He said their tax digest hasn’t grown in ten years.
“We have local needs. Our kids want longer library hours. We have broken sidewalks, it’s a tripping hazard. We’ve got all these local needs that our problems remain,” said Jones.
The meeting was hearing only.
