Savannah Morning News: “Sen. Ossoff calls on EPA, Army Corps to halt titanium mine near Okefenokee Swamp”
Sen. Ossoff surveyed the wildlife refuge in May and met with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington, D.C. –– U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is continuing his work to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, a sacred natural resource in the state of Georgia.
Sen. Ossoff urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take charge of the review process of the proposed mining project, which the EPA said in 2019 could “cause adverse effects to water quality and the life stages of aquatic life or other wildlife dependent on aquatic systems.”
“Due to the unique and irreplaceable nature of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, its significance to Georgia and the Nation, and recent Federal court rulings invalidating the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, I urge the EPA to exercise its special cases authority to revoke the October 2020 jurisdictional determination,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to the EPA. “By bringing this project back within Federal review, the EPA will ensure that the Okefenokee Refuge receives the protection it deserves.”
This marks the next step in Sen. Ossoff’s continued efforts to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
In April, he joined Senator Reverend Warnock to call for a rigorous assessment of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed mining development. Sen. Ossoff surveyed the swamp back in May and met with U.S. Fish & Wildlife officials who oversee the land.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s letter to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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