Twin Pines meeting airs concerns about mining near the Okefenokee
BRUNSWICK —The first of two online meetings was held Tuesday for public comments about a request to mine heavy minerals near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
The meeting, held by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, attracted 129 attendees. Eighty-one of them asked to speak during the two minutes allotted to each, though many failed to respond when called.
People with a wide range of backgrounds spoke, none of whom favored the request by Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals to mine heavy minerals near the Okefenokee.
Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman said the proposal by Twin Pines is contradictory. The company’s proposal is for all processed water from mining to be returned to the swamp’s water basin. But the company also proposed to use evaporators instead of returning water to the water basin.
“So what is it?” he asked. To remove heavy minerals from the sand, a 50-foot pit will be dug and an estimated 1.3 million gallons of water a day will be have to be removed to keep the pit dry. Concerns were raised about salt generated by the evaporation and mercury ending up in soil near the site.
Twin Pines is requesting to mine on a 577-acre tract nearly three miles from the southern boundary of the Okefenokee. Quarterman, noting the company owns land within 400 feet of the wildlife refuge’s boundary, questioned what will happen if a permit is granted.
“Once they get their foot in the door, it will be too late to stop,” he said.
Others discussed the impact mining could have on Trail Ridge, the heavy mineralladen geological formation that stretches from North Florida into Georgia that is believed to help contain the water in the swamp.
Florida resident Jim Tatum said subterranean water flows will be “permanently disabled” if mining is allowed by mixing together the different layers of soil. He called Twin Pines a “corner cutting company” for the multiple violations it has been cited for in its mining operations in Florida.
“They cannot help but impact the area,” he said. “It’s a bad idea put forth by a bad company.”
Atlanta lawyer Josh Marks, part of the team that negotiated with Dupont in the late 1990s that led to the company withdrawing its request to mine near the swamp, said Twin Pines cannot be trusted. He said it has a history of violations that include over $1 million in
Once they get their foot in the door, it will be too late to stop.” Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman
fines and settlements for an affiliated bioenergy operation in Northeast Georgia.
Twin Pines already has a bad track record for the proposed site near the Okefenokee, Marks said.
“They have lied about having a lease on their neighbor’s property, cleared their land without a local land disturbance permit and drilled over 380 boreholes without complying with state law, which should render all of its data invalid,” Marks said.
Sam Collier, another participant in the Dupont negotiations, said the water evaporation system proposed by Twin Pines is experimental and has never been used. He said the difference between Dupont and Twin Pines is Dupont was up front about its mining plans.
He said Twin Pines is “not forthcoming” and reduced the size of its mining request to avoid federal regulatory scrutiny.
“EPD needs to consider worst-case scenarios,” he said. “It makes no sense.”
Richard Morgan, a project manager for Dupont 25 years ago, expressed skepticism about Twin Pines claims its demonstration mining proposal will produce no negative impacts.
“I’m curious to learn what they propose to demonstrate,” he said. “It will show nothing.”
Treva Gear, a Valdosta teacher, said she has taken school groups to the Okefenokee. She said the chemicals that will be used as part of the mining process are “not even being talked about.”
“It concerns me we are willing to threaten this national treasure,” she said.
Bob Sherrier, a lawyer with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said he hopes a decision on the permit request hasn’t already been made. He asked if EPD officials have considered the long-term cumulative effects mining could have on the area.
Samantha Rafferty, whose family dates back several generations in the Fargo area west of the swamp, expressed concerns about the likelihood of more wildfires in the swamp if water levels are lowered by mining and the risk the fires will spread to the surrounding commercial timberland. She was also concerned about light pollution from mining operations that are planned to run 24 hours a day in an area famed for its dark nighttime skies.
Jonathan Andrew, a former National Wildlife Refuge ranger who has visited the Okefenokee more than 30 years, said he attended the press conference at the swamp more than two decades ago when then Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt announced his opposition to Dupont’s plans to mine on Trail Ridge.
“He said Trail Ridge is the wrong place for a mine,” Andrew said. “It’s still the wrong place for a mine.”
He said mining will “drastically change the fire ecology” and more fires will spread into commercial timberland.
“This is about water,” Andrew said. “Taking more than a million gallons a day will not have a positive impact.”
Dan Elliott, an archaeologist who was hired by Dupont to conduct research on any Native American artifacts present at the proposed site, said history and archaeology are his major concerns. Trail Ridge is “literally crawling with artifacts,” he said.
“It was a bad idea,” he said of mining. “It has my dander up.”
Malcolm Adams, whose house is on the St. Marys River in Nassau County, Fla., less than 15 miles from the proposed mining site, presented a simple argument against the mine.
“It doesn’t make sense to have a mine less than 3 miles from the Okefenokee swamp,” he said. “That’s all the data you need.”
Another public hearing to discuss the Twin Pines mining proposal will be held today at 6 p.m. Participants must register in advance by going to the Georgia EPD website for more information or to register. People have the option of speaking or just listening.
EPD officials are accepting public comments about the Twin Pines mining proposal until 4:30 p.m. on March 20. Go to twin pines.comment@dnr.ga.gov.