Company seeking to mine near Okefenokee will pay $20,000 to settle environmental violation claims
The company seeking permits to mine minerals just outside the Okefenokee Swamp's vast wildlife refuge has agreed to pay a $20,000 fine to Georgia environmental regulators
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The company seeking permits to mine minerals near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge has agreed to pay a $20,000 fine to Georgia environmental regulators, who say the company violated state laws while collecting soil samples for its permit application.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division's assessment of a civil penalty against Twin Pines Minerals comes as the Alabama-based company waits for the agency to approve a final mining plan for how it would conduct mining operations and mitigate any environmental damage. The plan is required for Twin Pines to qualify for a permit. Regulators released a draft plan a year ago.
Since 2019, Twin Pines has been seeking government permits to mine titanium dioxide less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the southeastern boundary of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the largest U.S. refuge east of the Mississippi River.
Scientists have warned that mining near the Okefenokee's bowl-like rim could irreparably harm the swamp’s ability to hold water and increase the frequency of withering droughts.
Twin Pines has insisted it can mine without harming the swamp. In a summary of the draft plan released in January 2023, Georgia regulators said their own analysis “concluded that water level in the swamp will be minimally impacted.”
A consent order issued by Georgia regulators Tuesday accuses Twin Pines of drilling soil samples at the mine site without having a professional geologist or engineer supervise the work, which is required by state law. The samples were taken
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