ATLANTA – Supporters of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge are taking another crack at protecting the environmentally fragile swamp from mining.
Two bills introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives Thursday, February 20 call for prohibiting mining along Trail Ridge, the Okefenokee’s eastern hydrologic boundary, where Alabamabased Twin Pines Minerals is seeking state permits to open a titanium mine. One bill would place a five-year moratorium on mining, while the other would prohibit future mining altogether.
Both bills are sponsored by state Rep. Darlene Taylor, RThomasville, who has introduced legislation during the last several years to prohibit mining adjacent to the Okefenokee. Thus far, none of those measures has reached the House floor for a vote despite dozens of lawmakers signing on as cosponsors.
The House did pass a bill late in last year’s legislative session calling for a threeyear moratorium on mining along Trail Ridge, but the
