SAVANNAH, Ga. — A federal agency proposed an expansion of the The Okefenokee Swamp a large nature reserve on Friday, which could lead to a buyout bid for land earmarked for a private company’s mining project that conservationists have been fighting for years.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it is considering adding 22,000 acres along the boundaries of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the largest federal refuge east of the Mississippi River.
The agency said the proposed expansion includes land owned by Twin Pines Minerals, which is close to obtaining state permits to mine titanium dioxide near the southeastern edge of the swamp.
Scientists have warned against mining near the bowl-like edge of the Okefenokee could cause irreparable damage the swamp’s ability to retain water and increase the frequency of devastating droughts. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland stated in 2022 that the proposed mine is a problem “unacceptable risk” for the fragile ecosystem on the border between Georgia and Florida.
The Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge and is part of the Department of the Interior, said it will receive public comments on the expansion proposal over the next 30 days.
“If the proposed minor boundary expansion is adopted, the agency can work with willing landowners to explore voluntary conservation actions, including potential acquisition, that would further protect the globally important freshwater wetland system and wildlife habitat,” the agency said in a news release. edition.
The proposal comes as Twin Pines awaits final approval from Georgia’s environmental regulators for its mining project less than three miles from the refuge’s current boundary. The company, which first applied for permits in 2019, has insisted it can mine near the Okefenokee refuge without harming it.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division issued draft permits for the project in February after state regulators said their own analysis “concluded that water levels in the marsh will be minimally affected.” The final permits are still being processed.
The Okefenokee refuge covers nearly 1,000 square miles in southeastern Georgia and is home to more than 400 species, including alligators and bald eagles. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge, the wildlife in the swamp, cypress forests and flooded prairies draws about 400,000 visitors each year.
Conservationists who have fought the proposed mine applauded the federal agency’s move to create a larger buffer along the edge of the refuge.
“Scientists say if you want to protect what’s inside the swamp, you have to protect what’s on the outside,” said Rena Ann Peck of the Georgia River Network.
Josh Marks, an Atlanta-based environmental attorney and outspoken critic of the mining project, called the proposed expansion of the refuge “a critical first step.”
“It is the strongest message to the state of Georgia that the federal government wants a permanent solution to this problem,” Marks said.
He called on Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to “halt the issuance of the permit and join the federal government in permanently protecting Georgia’s greatest national treasure.”
A spokesperson for Twin Pines did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment Friday.
Normally, the US Army Corps of Engineers would also have to approve permits. But it lost that authority over the Georgia project in 2020 because of regulatory rollbacks under then-President Donald Trump.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to regain some federal oversight of the project in January, when the agency asserted legal rights to the waters that feed the Okefenokee refuge.
Twin Pines has applied to withdraw more than 5.3 million gallons per day for its Georgia mine. The agency says federal law prohibits the project from diverting water from the refuge in amounts that would harm its function as a protective habitat for native animal and plant species.
