Controversial Okefenokee mine blocked by land sale
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Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp. Photo: Courtesy of Georgia Department of Natural Resources
A six-year battle to block a controversial mine near the Okefenokee Swamp is over after a nonprofit land conservation group bought the proposed site.
Why it matters: Scientists and environmental advocates said Twin Pines Minerals' proposed titanium and zirconium mine posed an existential threat to the swamp, one of Georgia's natural wonders.
Driving the news: On Friday, The Conservation Fund (TCF) announced the acquisition of the roughly 8,000-acre property and the bounty of valuable minerals it contains for $60 million.
- The purchase includes the nearly 600-acre site slated for a demonstration mine on Trail Ridge — a key geological feature buffering and supporting the blackwater swamp.
Some of the groups that contributed funding to buy the land include the James M. Cox Foundation and the Holdfast Collective, which is supported by Patagonia.
- Jim Kennedy, the chairman of the James M. Cox Foundation, is chairman emeritus of Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Axios.
Zoom in: The swamp, home to countless alligators and bald eagles and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, feeds two river systems. Its peatlands store millions of tons of carbon, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (PDF).
Catch up quick: Since the proposed mine's announcement in 2019, advocates have tried to slow or stop the operation and other mines using legislation, lobbying and awareness campaigns.
- Twin Pines president Steve Ingle said the mine could operate without harming the swamp.
After state environmental officials issued a draft permit to Twin Pines in 2024, TCF southeast director Stacy Funderburke told Axios, "it was pretty clear that despite all the great efforts up until now, there weren't many exit ramps left outside of a buyout."
Threat level: Ongoing. While the sale removes the immediate threat, other parcels along Trail Ridge remain vulnerable and worthy of conservation.
- "Anything that is a threat to that water table is a threat to the entire swamp," Funderburke said. "This is not the end."
State of play: In December 2024, the more than 400,000-acre national wildlife refuge was nominated to join the UNESCO World Heritage list.