‘Compromise’ bill would pause future mining

‘Dragline’ mining would be put on hold under new proposal.

In the midst of a contentious battle over a strip mine planned near the Okefenokee Swamp, the Georgia House of Representatives revived an effort Thursday to pause new permitting for similar projects.

The House Rules Committee approved a substitute bill that would prevent the Georgia Environmental Protection Division from considering new permits for “dragline” mining for three years.

Dragline mining is the technique Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals plans to use to extract titanium sands from a 582-acre mine atop Trail Ridge, the line of ancient dunes along the eastern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. Last month, the EPD released draft permits for the project.

The company’s plans to dig within three miles of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge — the largest blackwater swamp in North America — have drawn intense pushback from environmentalists. Twin Pines has said the mine will not harm the swamp, and EPD’s experts have mostly agreed.

The bill that advanced Thursday would not stop Twin Pines’ mine, but any expansion using the same techniques could not be considered by EPD until mid-2027.

Rep. James Burchett, R-Waycross, introduced the bill and called it a “compromise.”

The moratorium is similar to the one proposed in another piece of legislation, HB 1338, which passed the House Natural Resources and

Environment committee earlier this session. But HB 1338 also placed limits on the length of time judges would have to decide challenges to permit decisions by EPD. Those judicial review restrictions were opposed by environmentalists.

Critics of Twin Pines said they still were reviewing language in Burchett’s substitute.

The moratorium appears to have the backing of House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington. With only days left in the legislative session, it now heads to the full House. If it passes, it then would go to the Senate.

Another measure favored by environmentalists appears stalled for the third straight session, despite receiving bipartisan support. HB 71, backed by more than 90 House members — greater than half of the chamber — remains stuck in the Natural Resources and Environment Committee. It would prevent the current project from expanding and prohibit new mining along the Okefenokee’s eastern flank. HB 71 received a committee hearing during the 2023 session, but has not gotten a vote or any further debate this year.