Sierra Club Georgia Chapter response to report Twin Pines lacked mining rights on part of its proposed mining operation
ATLANTA — Last week, the Savannah Morning News reported that Twin Pine Minerals, LLC, does not have a lease for a portion of the 900 acres the company wants to mine outside the Okefenokee Swamp, though it has already applied for the permit needed to mine on that land.
Here is an excerpt from the Savannah Morning News report:
“... the owner of about a quarter of that property, financial services company TIAA, wrote to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, requesting the withdrawal or amendment of Twin Pines’ permit application.
“‘Please note that the Mining Application is in error to the extent that it represents that Twin Pines has secured rights to conduct mining operations upon any portion of TIAA Timberlands’ property,’ wrote Jeff Nuss, president and CEO of GreenWood Resources, Inc. as manager for TIAA Timberlands I, LLC.”
In response to the Savannah Morning News’ reporting, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Chair Jeff Schoenberg issued the following statement:
“From the beginning, the Sierra Club position has been that a plan to mine so close to the Okefenokee Swamp should be given serious scrutiny. Granting permission for the wrong kind of activity on that land could have catastrophic, permanent consequences to the entire region, not just the swamp. In contrast, the applicants have done everything they possibly could to demonstrate that they aren’t serious about anything except extracting quick profits.
“The public should not be mistaken about what this latest revelation really means. The applicants reportedly moved forward with their mining permit before securing the rights to the land they want to mine. They want to move ahead with the project as quickly as possible and they are very ready to cut corners to secure their profits. It certainly appears that this is the same motive they had for withdrawal of their first application, which would have triggered a lengthy environmental impact review.
“Twenty-three years ago, DuPont agreed with local stakeholders that they would only mine if they knew that they would do no harm from all lands they planned to mine. When DuPont realized all the legitimate risks that their mine would create, they did the honorable thing and withdrew. They also made sure that thousands of acres would be protected permanently. Twin Pines LLC is acting in exactly the opposite way. They under-state the risks, and do not study the full extent of their mine footprint. They want to mine immediately and worry about the science afterwards. If there’s damage, they and their limited liability company will just disappear, leaving the locals and the landscape to absorb the damage.
“Even if you had the most trustworthy people proposing a gold-standard plan, risk to the Okefenokee would merit a strict environmental review. Here, the people are demonstrably untrustworthy and the plan is haphazard. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to impose the strictest level of scrutiny on this dangerous application and require an environmental impact statement before any mining can begin.”
About the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter
The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is the largest grassroots environmental organization in the state, with more than 75,000 members and supporters. The Chapter supports a robust outings program and has active committees working on forest and coastal protection, transit expansion, and clean energy. For more information, visit sierraclub.org/georgia.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit sierraclub.org.
**Media Contact**
Ricky Leroux, Communications Coordinator, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter
404-607-1262 ext. 234 | ricky.leroux@sierraclub.org