Georgia subcommittee holds hearing on Okefenokee Protection Act, supporters urge ban on Trail Ridge mining

The Subcommittee on Resource Management of the Natural Resources & Environment Committee held a hearing on House Bill 561, the Okefenokee Protection Act, a proposal to prohibit surface mining along Trail Ridge where it abuts the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Representative Darlene Taylor, sponsor of HB 561, opened the hearing, saying the bill would protect the swamp and its surrounding communities from proposed mining.

The bill would bar surface mining on the portion of Trail Ridge coterminous with the eastern boundary of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Representative Darlene Taylor (sponsor) told the committee that the Okefenokee is “the largest blackwater wetland in North America” and said the bill is “about us, who we are and what we value.”

Nut graf: Supporters framed HB 561 as a preventive measure to keep Trail Ridge — which witnesses described as the hydraulic ridge that helps retain water in the swamp — intact. Opponents, including landowners and industry representatives, said mining permits should continue to be decided by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) on a project‑by‑project basis and warned that a statutory ban could raise constitutional and economic issues.

Experts and conservation groups who testified in favor of the bill warned of hydrologic and ecological effects from proposed mining activity. Rhett Jackson, John Porter Stevens Distinguished Professor of Water Resources at the University of Georgia Warnell School, told the committee that the proposed mine site sits on a hydrologic divide and cited the project consultant’s estimate that the mine would need to “constantly pump 1,130,000 gallons per day every day to dewater the mine pit.” Jackson said that withdrawing about 0.9 cubic feet per second (CFS) would “more than triple the duration of severe drought” for the southeast compartment of the swamp, and that even small sustained changes in the swamp’s shallow water budget may increase wildfire risk and ecological damage.

Josh Marks, an environmental attorney and president of Georgians for the Okefenokee, told members the state agency review has been inadequate. Marks said independent hydrologists had “documented how EPD has failed to use sound science in its analysis of the project” and cited a 2023 letter from scientists to EPD criticizing the agency’s methodology.

Representatives of conservation, recreation and local tourism interests described potential economic and community impacts. Barbara Bork, past president of the Garden Club of Georgia, said the Okefenokee “is a national treasure” and noted the swamp’s tourism and job figures cited by testimony. Rena Pack of Georgia Rivers and Emily Floor of Saint Marys Riverkeeper told the committee that the Saint Marys River is hydrologically connected to Trail Ridge and that reduced inflows could increase saltwater intrusion and sedimentation downstream; Floor urged the committee to permit time for ongoing EPD, Fish and Wildlife Service and Army Corps studies to complete.

Several witnesses urged a statutory protection rather than continuing to rely solely on permitting decisions. April Lipscomb, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, argued that a ban or moratorium would not constitute an unconstitutional taking because surface mining is a heavily regulated use and courts weigh reasonableness of investment‑backed expectations. Others, including local business and conservation groups, urged passage to avoid repeated cycles of contested permitting.

Industry and landowner representatives opposed a legislative ban. Drew Jones, a forest land manager for Toledo Manufacturing and a Charlton County commissioner, said local jobs and revenues come from existing mining operations and that EPD should continue to adjudicate permits. Louis Jones, an attorney for Twin Pines Minerals, said the company’s application had undergone multi‑year review and urged the committee to “let the experts do their job.” Joe Hopkins, who described owning mineral deposits in the region, argued that a statute that permanently forecloses mining could generate takings claims and deprive landowners of economically valuable rights without compensation.

Committee members questioned trade‑offs between legislative action and agency permitting. Several members voiced concern about geographic scope, enforcement and potential legal exposure; Representative Taylor clarified that HB 561 would apply only to the portion of Trail Ridge in Georgia that is coterminous with the refuge’s eastern boundary and would not affect land in Florida.

Ending: The subcommittee treated HB 561 as a hearing item and did not take a vote. Committee members moved next to consideration of House Bill 562, a separate measure that would impose a temporary moratorium on mining on Trail Ridge. Several witnesses and committee members requested additional hydrologic and economic analyses before a final decision.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the hearing record and include Representative Darlene Taylor (sponsor), Rhett Jackson (UGA), Josh Marks (Georgians for the Okefenokee), April Lipscomb (Southern Environmental Law Center), Rena Pack (Georgia Rivers), Emily Floor (Saint Marys Riverkeeper), Drew Jones (Toledo Manufacturing; Charlton County commissioner), Louis Jones (attorney for Twin Pines Minerals), Barbara Bork (Garden Club of Georgia) and Joe Hopkins (landowner/industry representative).