The People Have Spoken

Thank you! You’ve responded to the threat to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in astounding numbers. Well over 60,000 people submitted comments regarding Twin Pines Minerals’ applications to mine Trail Ridge (the geological “dam” of the Swamp) in the search for titanium.
- Twin Pines’ March permit application alone (the second one for a smaller area which, we believe, was nothing more than a bid to evade an Environmental Impact Statement) drew 44,000 comments from 50 U.S. states, 4 U.S. territories, and over 30 countries.
- In response to Twin Pines’ March permit application, 34 national, state, regional and local conservation organizations signed a joint comment letter to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), outlining their deep concerns about Twin Pines’ proposed project.
- On May 13th, the USACE held a virtual public meeting about the proposed project. The video-conference lines were filled to capacity.
The entire nation and much of the world has spoken: protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and the St. Marys and Suwannee Rivers. 

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge PUBLIC HEARING

With your help, we’ve come so far. Please take this next step. And remember...it doesn't matter in which state or country you live: the Okefenokee is one of the world's largest naturally-driven freshwater ecosystems and the fight to protect this rare jewel is a global effort. 

On Wednesday, May 13, from 2- 5pm, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be holding an online Public Hearing about the proposed titanium mine on the doorstep of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The Okefenokee is one of America’s greatest wetlands, a critical habitat for rare and imperiled plants and animals, and the headwaters for two essential river systems.

Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, has now submitted two applications and yet the company has consistently failed to prove that they will cause no harm to the Okefenokee, the St. Marys River, or the Suwannee River. In fact, federal and state agencies as well as more than 20 national, regional, state, and local conservation groups have voiced concern about the proposed mine: concern that is supported by members of the scientific community. The common consensus among these experts is that the Twin Pines project presents a clear threat to this rare and fragile environmental treasure.

It is imperative that the public has a voice in this crucial matter. Over 30,000 of you submitted written comments and now we ask you to take this next quick step.

Please join the online hearing for as much time as you can spare.

The meeting will be held using the WebEx platform.

In order to attend the Virtual Public Meeting you must RSVP by emailing

CESAS-SpecialProjects@usace.army.mil

Subject: “RSVP for 13 MAY Public Meeting TPM”

Make sure that you include your full name, email address, and contact phone number with area code.

Before the meeting, you will receive the meeting link, instructions, and security code. Just click the link and follow the prompts.

You don’t have to participate in the entire 2- 5pm meeting; we understand that that’s impossible for many people. Just stay long enough to make yourself heard by typing your comment and/or question in the chat feature and asking the USACE to either deny the permit application for this controversial project or, at the very least, require a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement.

All participant lines will be muted in order to maintain audio quality. Moderators will direct questions to the appropriate person during the question and answer session.

It is essential that we take action now in order to save the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the rivers that depend on it. Please…speak up on May 13th.

Threats to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the St. Marys River

On Thursday, August 15, I attended the Charlton County Board of Commissioners meeting. We knew that they planned to vote on an oddly premature “proclamation of support” for the Twin Pines, LLC, 12,000-acre titanium mining project less than four miles from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

I was pleased to see the standing-room-only crowd. The Commissioners proceeded quickly through the agenda and then voted unanimously to approve the proclamation. There was no discussion about it. 

The audience members then sat through the entire meeting, waiting for the public comment period – only to be informed, when the time came, that no one from outside Charlton County was allowed to speak.

In the audience were citizens from Camden County, representatives from environmental organizations (Defenders of Wildlife, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia River Network, the St. Marys EarthKeepers, etc.), and people from other areas that would be directly impacted by the mining project. We are stakeholders. (As are all who are reading this letter now). We have “standing” in this matter. And yet we were denied the opportunity to address the Commissioners. 

The St. Marys River is born of a tiny stream, known as “River Styx”, that lies deep within the Okefenokee Swamp. From there, this rare blackwater river gains strength until, after a journey of 125 river-miles, it delivers its unique tea-dark potion into the Atlantic. 

Twin Pines LLC (Alabama) plans to base their operation dangerously close to the headwaters of our river. The company is already cited in a consent order on Chemours mines for failure to collect data, spilling waste through silt fences and not cleaning it up, and being out of compliance on numerous counts, including radium and iron, in the Suwannee, St. Johns, and St. Marys River basins in Florida. And now they want to mine beside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. 

We’ve seen no hydrological studies. They’ve performed no research regarding the potentially-devastating impacts on the nearby hunt-clubs and hunters that rely on the Swamp for their income. No studies have been done about the impacts on tourism. (The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Banking On Nature report found that visitation to the Okefenokee generates an annual income of $64.7 million to the surrounding area and supports an estimated 753 jobs. Twin Pines dangles the carrot of 150 jobs at best - and that number is highly questionable.)  

In fact, Twin Pines offers (in their videotaped words) “no guarantees” that their operation will not negatively and permanently impact the Okefenokee Swamp and the rivers and people that depend upon it.

It is imperative that The United States Army Corp of Engineers hear from the public. We must urge them to require a thorough Environmental Impact Statement before the Twin Pines, LLC project proceeds. Your voices are needed now. 

Please email holly.a.ross@usace.army.mil
Make sure that you refer to the applicant’s name and the application number in your subject line and/or comments:
Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, 2100 Southbridge Parkway, Birmingham, Ala. 35209, Application Number: SAS-2018-00554.

Alex Kearns

Chair

St. Marys EarthKeepers

A Threat to the Okefenokee Swamp

Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, (Birmingham, Alabama) wants to mine on the sandy ridge that serves as the eastern edge of the immense bowl-like depression that retains the water of the swamp. Twin Pines’ plan initially calls for mining on about 4 square miles, but the company said that it eventually wants to expand to about 19 square miles. The process to be used is a form of strip-mining and will alter the soil composition of the area – which, in turn, will hamper drainage and alter the hydrology.

The Okefenokee Swamp/National Wildlife Refuge/Wilderness is NOT a suitable location for a project of this nature. It is considered one of the "Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia", is the largest blackwater swamp in North America, and has been designated a National Natural Landmark.

The health of the St. Marys River depends on the integrity of the Okefenokee Swamp, myriad species rely on its wellbeing, and tourism in the area is an economic boon to our region. In those respects, it is very much a matter of concern for this city Council. (The St. Marys River is born of the River Styx. Note the proximity of the headwaters to the proposed mining site in the attached image.)

It is the St. Marys EarthKeepers’ position that the Twin Pines mining project presents unnecessary and unacceptable risks, and that the application should be denied - unless and until a full Environmental Impact Study indicates that absolutely no harm will come to the Okefenokee Swamp, its tributaries, species, rivers, and future. We are joined in our concern by the Georgia Conservancy, SELC, the Suwannee Riverkeeper, and over 20 other regional and national environmental organizations.

From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

“We have concerns that the proposed project poses substantial risks for significant affect to the environment. Should impacts occur they may not be able to be reversed, repaired, or mitigated for."

"Titanium is a common mineral, while the Okefenokee is a very uncommon swamp."

"This will likely change its properties and the hydrology of the area."

The Georgia Conservancy offers this excellent summary: https://www.georgiaconservancy.org/okefenokee/mining