Georgia GOP lawmaker pushes bill to protect ‘vital and precious’ Okefenokee from new mining proposals

State Rep. Darlene Taylor (left), a Thomasville Republican, convinced lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to support her proposed “Okefenokee Protection Act.” Rep. Mary Frances Williams (center), a Marietta Democrat, was one of them. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

While an Alabama-based company’s controversial mining proposal moves through the permitting process, a south Georgia Republican lawmaker is again attempting to head off any future attempt to mine an important site near the Okefenokee Swamp.

State Rep. Darlene Taylor, a Thomasville Republican, has revived the legislative effort just days after the state Environmental Protection Division started a 60-day public comment period on Twin Pines Minerals’ draft mining land use permit.

Taylor’s bill would not directly impact the company’s permit application that is already in the works, but if the measure passes, it is designed to block any future expansion plans and new mining proposals. Company officials declined to comment Tuesday on how the bill would impact their plans to mine Trail Ridge for titanium and zirconium.