Conservation land deal stops Okefenokee mining plan

After six years, the controversial plan to mine next to Georgia’s beloved Okefenokee Swamp has been halted. 

The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit organization specializing in the acquisition of at-risk lands for environmental conservation, has purchased the land adjacent to the Okefenokee Swamp from Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals, LLC. 

Twin Pines first applied to the state of Georgia for permits to mine the land back in 2019. Since then, the plan kicked up major dust in Georgia — and nationally — facing consistent backlash from the scientific community, feds, environmentalists and the general public.