Georgia lawmakers weigh a 3-year pause on expansion permits for planned Okefenokee mine

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — As a proposed mine on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp nears final approval, Georgia lawmakers are considering a three-year pause on further permits that would allow the mine to expand. The bill approved by a House committee Thursday won’t affect plans by Twin Pines Minerals to mine titanium dioxide on 773 acre mine outside Okefenokee and its vase wildlife refuge. The project received draft permits earlier this month from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Conservation groups and some scientists say any such mining could damage the swamp’s ability to hold water.