While some things may change, others seem not to at all. I am talking about the efforts to dragmine our Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge for titanium dioxide so mankind never runs short of toothpaste whitener.
Sources tell me that Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals, which applied for a permit from Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (insert oxymoron here) to drag-mine 582 acres on Trail Ridge at the eastern edge of the Okefenokee may be headed back to Saraland or Wetumpka — or wherever in Alabama will have them — with their excavator tucked between their legs.
It seems they haven’t knocked off any socks with their performance thus far.
Joe Hopkins, president of Toledo Manufacturing in Charlton County, is deemed a major player in the dig-or-not-dig controversy. Toledo owns some 30,000 acres in the county. To him, this is a private property rights and due process of law issue and while he may deny it, he is a major influencer in the debate. A couple of bills deemed compromises on the issue were stymied in the Legislature due to his objections. He objects to politicians telling him what he can or cannot do with his private property.
Hopkins is no fan of Twin Pines. He told The Current, a publication that covers coastal issues in Georgia, that the company lacks mining experience and failed to follow state law regarding drilling procedures, as well as falling behind on paying their taxes.
“I’m afraid some of their prior actions have destroyed their reputation,” Hopkins said. I wonder if that thought has ever occurred to EPD bureaucrats.
So, exit Twin Pines?
Maybe. But hold your applause. Another potential player is emerging on the scene. Hopkins also told The Current, “I honestly wish Chemours was in Twin Pines’ place right now. Would that stop the opposition? No, it would not stop it, but I think it would tone it down a little bit.” Really?
If the name “Chemours” sounds familiar, it is a $2.6 billion chemical- and-mining behemoth spun off in 2015 from DuPont. That’s the same DuPont that wanted to drag-mine the Okefenokee 25 years ago until Gov. Zell Miller, along with then-Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, told them no.
Déjà vu all over again.
Ask the good people of Murray County and the city of Dalton about Chemours. They are currently suing the company, along with several other chemical producers and carpet manufacturers, for dumping “forever chemicals” in county landfills and water sources. The city of Rome recently received $45 million in damages to settle a lawsuit accusing the companies of fouling its community drinking water.
Known as PFAS, these chemicals have been linked to numerous illnesses, including cancer. They are called “forever chemicals” because they literally can take centuries to degrade. Since 2015, Chemours has paid fines totaling $592 million as part of a $1 billion settlement involving DuPont and Corteva, another DuPont spinoff, regarding claims they contaminated U.S. water systems. Nevertheless, don’t get drop-jaw if you read that Chemours has purchased Twin Pines Minerals.
Proponents will no doubt claim that dumping chemicals in our landfills and water sources is unrelated to drag-mining the Okefenokee for titanium dioxide. I disagree.
If Chemours had to shell out a half-billion dollars for doing something they should not have done, it speaks to corporate integrity. How can we trust them to do the right thing in our Okefenokee?
Many have asked if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to expand the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge acquisition boundary by approximately 22,000 acres will make any difference. The agency said the expansion would enable them “to work with willing landowners to explore voluntary conservation actions, including potential acquisition or conservation easement.”
Hopkins told The Current he might sell his mineral rights for “adequate compensation” if he was not prohibited from doing anything else with the property.
“I would certainly sit down and entertain it,” he said. But there is a long way between saying and doing. Stay tuned.
One thing has not changed. Don’t expect our government leaders, who we put in office, or the bureaucrats they supposedly supervise, to tell us anything. Our elected officials up and down the line continue to insult our intelligence with their bromides and non-statements about drag-mining our Okefenokee. Will you allow me the privilege of telling them that you and I aren’t going away? We have just begun to fight.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough.com or at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139.