From the Georgia Recorder: By Stanley Dunlap - April 8, 2020

Conservation groups, wildlife lovers and anyone with a fondness for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge can still officially chime in on a revised federal application to mine heavy minerals near one of the country's most treasured natural resources. The U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers Savannah District is accepting public comments through Monday, April 13 on Twin Pines Minerals' request to mine 900 acres located near the Okefenokee Swamp. This year the mining company submitted hydrological reports and a new application that proposes mining 900 acres for titanium and zirconium along a 2,400 acres tract of land.

"We believe it fully addresses points raised in our discussions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about reducing the size of our permit area," Twin Pines president Steve Ingle said in a statement. "We look forward to their response and to moving ahead with mining our property in a manner that is environmentally responsible and produces good-paying jobs for the people of Charlton County." More than 20,000 public comments were turned in for Twin Pines' 2019 permit application. The public comment opportunity restarted, since this is a considered a new project by Twin Pines, said Billy Birdwell, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Savannah district.

The Georgia Conservancy continues to call for an Environmental Impact Statement before an application is considered so that the project gets a thorough, independent review. There has not been enough time to review the complicated scientific reports turned in this year by Twin Pines for what's being called a "demonstration" project, said Charles McMillan, natural resources director for the Georgia Conservancy.

He said the statewide member-supported organization still carries major concerns about the potential damage to a refuge that is home to more than 600 plant species as well as rare animals like indigo snakes, gopher tortoises and wood storks.

"This is awfully big, for a demonstration project on something that is 900 acres, half of which is wetlands, is cause for concern and a lot of these concerns go back to other Trail Ridge mining that's been going on for the last 50 years in Florida, between the Florida-Georgia line," McMillan said.

In the earlier proposal, Twin Pines said it intended to study the potential impact of mining along 12,000 acres. Suwannee Riverkeeper John Quarterman isn't buying into Twin Pines assurances about the Charlton County mine leaving the groundwater, surface streams and swamp in the same shape as before mining starts.