Below is a draft map
of the proposed
leg of the Palmetto Pipeline that will travel through 18 miles of Camden
County, travel into Charlton County, cross the St. Marys River and then jog
east to Jacksonville. Wetlands, tributaries, a river, myriad threatened or
endangered species, the city of St. Marys itself at the mouth of the
river...what could possibly go wrong?
The St. Marys River -
a unique and fragile low-flow blackwater river - surfaces as a tiny stream known as “River Styx”
and flows from the western edge of Trail Ridge (the primordial remnants of a
barrier island system) and into the southeastern Okefenokee Swamp. From there
it travels south, then east, then north,
then east-southeast until finally, after a journey of 125 river-miles, it
delivers its tannic waters into the Cumberland Sound and the Atlantic Ocean
near St. Marys, GA and Fernandina Beach FL.
The river is bordered
by Charlton and Camden counties in Georgia, Nassau
and Baker counties in Florida.
The St. Marys River Basin is a
critical habitat for numerous rare, threatened or endangered species, including
23 kinds of plants and 54 kinds of animals. Wildlife in this area consists of,
among others, porpoise, manatee, osprey, bald eagle, white-tailed deer, black
bear, bobcat, raccoon, otter, beaver, gopher tortoise, alligator and indigo
snake. It is also host to a diverse variety of flora and fauna such as
bald cypress, longleaf pine, black gum, southern magnolia, red maple, American
holly, poplar, black willow, river birch, and a variety of oaks.
The City of St. Marys is located at the mouth of the river.
Its economy relies, in large part, upon the tourism created by fishing,
kayaking, boating, and visitors to Cumberland island National Seashore.
Throughout St. Marys history the citizens’ quality of life was - and is
-predicated upon the environmental integrity of the river.
So there’s a snapshot of an extraordinary ecosystem and its
importance to a region’s well-being. Now we are informed that Kinder Morgan
would like to run their pipeline through 18 miles of Camden County, into
Charlton County, and across the St. Marys River on its way to Jacksonville.
Let’s look at the risk-reward scales. On the “reward” side,
we have the much-vaunted temporary jobs that will, apparently, be given to
out-of-area workers, the 28 permanent jobs based in Atlanta, and an economic
boon to Kinder Morgan. Nowhere in there do we see any possible benefits to the
people of St. Marys, Camden County, or the other counties that border the
river.
On the “risk” side of the scale we have potential
devastation to a river, its ecosystem, and the people who rely upon the St.
Marys River’s continued health. No system is fool-proof. No pipeline is
fail-safe. And the risks in this case so far outweigh the rewards as to topple
the scales.
The St. Marys EarthKeepers, stand firmly opposed to the Palmetto Pipeline - for we are unwilling to submit to Kinder Morgan’s game of Russian roulette with our river, our environment, and our quality of life.
