Speak out and say 'no' to mining next to the Okefenokee

SELC launches tool to fight for North America's largest blackwater swamp

ATLANTA, Feb. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, Georgia's Environmental Protection Division released draft permits for Alabama based Twin Pines Minerals LLC's strip mine on the doorstep of Georgia's iconic Okefenokee Swamp.

In response, the Southern Environmental Law Center launched a website that allows the public to easily speak out against the proposal by submitting a comment to tell Georgia leaders to reject this dangerous plan. The public has until April 9^th to take action on the draft permits for the project and encourage Georgia regulators to reject this risky proposal.

Visit southernenvironment.org/Okefenokee to submit a comment on the proposed mine.

For years, SELC has worked alongside partner organizations to stop this reckless and unnecessary plan from threatening the swamp. Twin Pines has failed to prove their proposed mine would comply with state and federal laws. Researchers fear mining in this location will threaten the swamp's water levels, increase wildfire risks, harm wildlife, and release toxic contaminants into nearby surface and groundwater.   

"Our fight to stop a strip mine on the doorstep of the Okefenokee Swamp has reached a critical stage," said Bill Sapp, a Senior Attorney with SELC. "Georgia has the authority to deny these permits, but folks need to step up and explain why we don't want this mine next to the swamp."

The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the most significant wetlands on Earth, and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is also nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Okefenokee hosts more than 700,000 visits a year and supports more than 750 jobs for hard working Georgians.

People in Georgia, and across the country, strongly oppose the proposed mine. EPD previously received more than 200,000 public comments against the mine and more than a dozen communities around the swamp and across the state passed resolutions that support protecting the Okefenokee. Last month, state lawmakers received a petition signed by more than 500 residents who live near the swamp and oppose the project.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation's most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region's air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 200, including more than 100 attorneys, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, D.C.
southernenvironment.org

SOURCE Southern Environmental Law Center