Mining project near Okefenokee Swamp stalled over $2M permit requirement

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- A institution that has spent years battling conservationists arsenic it seeks a licence to excavation extracurricular the Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected wildlife refuge needs to bash conscionable 1 happening earlier regulators marque a last decision: acceptable speech $2 cardinal for aboriginal restoration of the mining site.

Sixteen months aft being notified of the requirement, Twin Pines Minerals inactive hasn't submitted a surety enslaved oregon equivalent fiscal assurance to amusement the Georgia Environmental Protection Division that it has entree to that magnitude of currency oregon credit.

That's brought an unexpected halt to a task that appeared connected the cusp of winning last support aboriginal past year. Georgia regulators issued draft permits successful February 2024 contempt warnings from scientists that mining truthful adjacent to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge could irreparably harm a nationalist treasure.

Twin Pines of Birmingham, Alabama, has worked since 2019 to get permits to excavation titanium dioxide, a pigment utilized to whiten products from overgarment to toothpaste, little than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the southeastern bound of the Okefenokee refuge adjacent the Georgia-Florida line.

Within days of the draught permits being approved, Georgia regulators informed Twin Pines successful a missive that it needed to taxable a $2 cardinal bond, currency oregon missive of recognition that tin beryllium utilized arsenic needed to wage for restoration of the 820-acre (332-hectare) site.

Regulators person finished reviewing thousands of nationalist comments that poured successful a twelvemonth agone regarding the mining task successful Georgia's Charlton County, said Environmental Protection Division spokeswoman Sara Lips. Now they're waiting connected Twin Pines earlier moving forward.

“The fiscal assurance is the past portion of the licence bundle that volition past get routed to our staff, up to the director, to marque a last decision," Lips told The Associated Press. She said Twin Pines faces nary deadline to enactment up the money.

Twin Pines President Steve Ingle declined to remark done a institution spokesman. Ingle has insisted Twin Pines tin excavation without harming the Okefenokee. State regulators person agreed, concluding past twelvemonth that mining should person a “minimal impact” connected the refuge.

The mining company's nonaccomplishment to acceptable speech the $2 cardinal aft good implicit a twelvemonth has opponents questioning whether it has the resources to excavation responsibly successful an ecologically delicate area.

“When we’re talking astir the imaginable harm of this mine, it goes mode beyond $2 million," said Peter Slag, an lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “It's benignant of an alarm doorbell that they astir apt don’t person the wealth to bash different sorts of compliance and superior investment.”

The Okefenokee is the largest U.S. refuge eastbound of the Mississippi River, covering astir 630 quadrate miles (1,630 quadrate kilometers) successful southeast Georgia. It is location to abundant alligators, stilt-legged wood storks and much than 400 different carnal species.

Scientists person warned that mining adjacent the Okefenokee’s bowl-like rim could harm the swamp’s quality to clasp h2o and summation the frequence of withering droughts.

There are different signs Twin Pines whitethorn beryllium struggling financially.

Danish shipping institution Lauritzen Bulkers sued Twin Pines successful national tribunal successful Colorado past October, saying it's owed $9.3 cardinal aft contracting with Twin Pines successful 2022 to transport minerals to Asia. A justice paused the lawsuit successful April, astatine the shipper's request, amid arbitration proceedings.

Twin Pines' lawyer successful that case, Joseph Martinez, did not instantly instrumentality email messages seeking comment.

In March, a 2nd institution sued Twin Pines successful a California authorities court. M&L Commodities says Twin Pines owes it $5.6 cardinal stemming from a 2021 declaration for M&L to store minerals for the mining company. Twin Pines denies wrongdoing successful ineligible responses filed successful court.