ATLANTA (February 10, 2020) – Twin Pines Minerals, LLC has withdrawn its application to operate on roughly 2,400 acres of land along the border of the Okefenokee Swamp, announcing they will reduce the size of the permit area before resubmitting their application. The news is a temporary reprieve for the swamp, which contains the nation’s largest national wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River and attracts over 600,000 visitors annually. When the plan was first announced, many locals and visitors alike voiced their disapproval, as the mine could pose the threat of damage to the swamp’s unique hydrology.
Christian Hunt, Southeast Program Representative at Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement " Twin Pines withdrew its application for one reason: the company was told their project would require an Environmental Impact Statement and therefore a thorough independent scientific review. Transparency is the last thing this company wants. Further analysis will only reinforce what we've known all along: that mining poses an unacceptable threat to the Okefenokee. Twin Pines will no doubt return with a second application designed to skirt scientific scrutiny and further review. We will not be fooled by this strategy. The fight for Okefenokee is far from over and we will not let our guard down.”
Twin Pines Minerals, LLC could resubmit at any time. But for now, the Alabama mining company has withdrawn its application to mine in Georgia near the Okefenokee Swamp, the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers.