Nada. Nil. Zip. Zero. So went the discussions in the just-concluded session of the Legislature regarding the possible permitting by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (and, yes, continue to insert oxymoron here until further notice) to drag mine Trail Ridge, at the edge of our Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, for titanium dioxide in order that We the People never run out of toothpaste whitener.
In fairness to our intrepid public servants, they were really busy on other stuff. It seems that Republicans spent a lot of time on legislation to ban gender-affirming care for an estimated five (5) state prison inmates. This so incensed House Democrats that they staged a photo-op walkout. Who has time to worry about our treasured Okefenokee when there is such pressing issues as to whether or not five (5) prisoners can become the boy or girl of their choice?
For four years now, efforts to address mining the Okefenokee have gone nowhere in the Legislature, in spite of overwhelming support by Georgians to leave the place alone.
Rep. Darlene Taylor, R-Thomasville, has introduced several bills to ban mining on sensitive portions of Trail Ridge, but to no avail. Rep. Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, chair of the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, didn’t allow the bill to see the light of day. This year, Rep. Taylor tried to attach her moratorium bill to another bill after crossover day and it, too, was blocked.
At a recent hearing on the bill, Rep Smith opined that legislators don’t have the expertise to decide such matters as drag mining the Okefenokee. That is what bureaucrats are for. If you happen to see Smith, ask her for me how she voted on the prison sex change legislation and from whence did her expertise come on that issue.
In my not-so-humble opinion, this game is rigged. One telltale sign is the deafening silence coming out of Gov. Brian Kemp’s office and the condescension with which you are being treated by your elected officials. This one is about money. Lots of it.
According to the website OpenSecrets which tracks campaign contributions, going back to his first term, Gov. Kemp has received $109,950 from Twin Pines management and their army of lizard-loafered lobbyists, $42,100
from Chemours and its lobbyists and $7,700 from Joe (“Don’t call me a Timber Baron”) Hopkins and his Toledo Manufacturing, which owns 50,000 acres in Charlton County. My abacus says that’s a total of $159,750. My experience says that will buy you a lot of silence. ( If I hear from the Governor’s office, you will be the first to know but I wouldn’t cancel any plans you may have.)
To our south, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved the protection of 34,595 acres of critical conservation lands, a significant step in preserving that state’s natural habitat. Sources tell me that Pogo the Possum and his pals are considering relocating to the Everglades where Albert the Alligator will eat the first government bureaucrat or lizard-loafered lobbyist he sees.
Meanwhile, back at our Okefenokee things aren’t looking good for Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals, which applied for the original permits to dredge us up some titanium dioxide whether we want it or not. They seem to be sucking financial wind. As of this writing, the company is two months in default of their 2025 property taxes in Charlton County and over three months in default of a mortgage on their most valuable parcel. Also, records show the value of their equipment which was at $69M in 2022 has dropped below $10M for 2025. This is presumably due to their having sold the vast majority of their equipment.
Word is that Chemours is ready to swoop in and buy what is left of Twin Pines, should they get the permit approval from EPD. The company boasts that it’s “the world’s largest producer of high-quality titanium dioxide.”
However, in February 2022, Chemours issued the following statement: “We have no previous, existing, or future interest in acquiring, and no plans or intent to acquire the project or the company. We have no intention or plans, now and for the foreseeable future (the next five to ten years), of doing business with Twin Pines, including buying from the project or any titanium the project produces.”
Since 2022, shareholder activists have tried to get the company to make that pledge permanent, and will press the company to acknowledge the importance of the Okefenokee at their annual meeting on April 22nd, which ironically happens to be Earth Day. Don’t hold your breath. This isn’t about what is best for our Okefenokee. It’s about money and political influence. And it stinks.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough.com or at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139