Okefenokee mining protection bills do not advance House
ATLANTA (WSAV) — Two bills proposed to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from mining did not advance through the House Thursday.
The bills were aimed at Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals' plan to strip mine for titanium dioxide, staurolite and zircon around three miles from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge's Trail Ridge. The Trail Ridge is 'the ancient sand dune that serves as an earthen dam for the swamp,' GRN said, and is essential for hydrology in the Okefenokee and surrounding areas like the St. Mary River.
House Bill 561 would have prohibited future mining along the Okefenokee's Trail Ridge, a GRN spokesperson said. If passed, it would've prohibited the director of the EPD 'from issuing, modifying, or renewing any permit or accepting any bond to conduct surface mining operations on Trail Ridge for future permit applications and amendments,' the bill said.
The second bill, HB 562, would've place a five-year moratorium, or hold, on mining along the Okefenokee's Trail Ridge. GRN said that this hold would've provide state regulators and independent scientists time to evaluate how mining at the Twin Pines site could impact groundwater levels under and near the swamp.
The five-year timeline would've aligned with the Twin Pines demo mine duration, which includes four years of active mining plus one year groundwater recovery monitoring.
The Okefenokee mining bills were sponsored by several Republicans in Georgia's coastal areas, including Thomasville's Darlene Taylor, Savannah's Ron Stephens and St. Mary's Rep. Steven Sainz. Gerald Greene (R) of Cuthbert, Debbie Buckner (D) of Junction City and Carolyn Hugley (D) of Columbus also sponsored the bills.
Proposals that didn't pass Thursday could still be brought up again later, but it can be more difficult to advance them. They could also be considered next year since this 2025 is the first year of a two-year session.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
23 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Iran accused of abducting journalist's family in retaliation for war coverage
DUBAI — Iran detained the family members of an Iran International journalist Saturday in retaliation for the channel's coverage of the country's war with Israel, threatening to hold them until the journalist resigned from her position. The London-based Persian-language news channel said in a statement that it strongly condemns the abduction of its journalist's family, calling it 'an appalling act of hostage-taking aimed at coercing our colleague into resigning from their post.' 'This deeply reprehensible tactic marks a dangerous escalation in the regime's ruthless campaign to silence dissent and suppress independent journalism,' the news channel said. The detainment marks the latest example of Iran's long-standing effort to crack down not only on Iranian journalists inside the country but also those abroad who still have family and friends living in Iran. The Islamic Republic is one of the world's top jailers of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and in the best of times, reporters face strict restrictions. The broadcaster said that Iran's paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps took the presenter's mother, father and younger brother to an unidentified location. The journalist, whose name the outlet did not disclose, then received a phone call from her father early Saturday, urging her to resign from her role, according to Iran International. The voices of security agents could be heard in the background telling her father what to say. 'I've told you a thousand times to resign. What other consequences do you expect?' Iran International said her father told her. 'You have to resign.' Persian-language broadcasters such as Iran International and BBC Persia have long been targets for the Islamic Republic, given that they broadcast in the native language and many Iranians, both domestically and abroad, rely on them for news, especially of the most recent Iran-Israel war amid an official internet blackout. Iran International in particular has become a target of Tehran in recent years over its programming that is critical of the theocratic government in Tehran. The Iranian government has called the news outlet a terrorist organization. One of its journalists was stabbed in 2024 in an attack suspected to have been carried out by Iran, while men were arrested in a suspected plot to target others at the channel. Amiri writes for the Associated Press.
The Hill
23 minutes ago
- The Hill
Suicide bomber strikes Syrian church near Damascus during mass
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A suicide bomber in Syria on Sunday detonated himself inside a church filled with people, state television and a war monitor said. The explosion in Dweil'a in the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says there were 30 people wounded and killed, but the exact numbers are unclear. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties. The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus under its de facto Islamist rule is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country. Security forces and first-responders rushed to the church. An eye witness said in a video widely circulated online that the attacker came in and started to shoot at the people there before detonating an explosive vest he was wearing.
24 minutes ago
Suicide bomber strikes Syrian church near Damascus during mass
DAMASCUS, Syria -- A suicide bomber in Syria on Sunday detonated himself inside a church filled with people, state television and a war monitor said. The explosion in Dweil'a in the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says there were 30 people wounded and killed, but the exact numbers are unclear. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties. The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus under its de facto Islamist rule is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country. Security forces and first-responders rushed to the church. An eye witness said in a video widely circulated online that the attacker came in and started to shoot at the people there before detonating an explosive vest he was wearing.
