Okefenokee Letter Writing Tips

• Explain why the Okefenokee is important to you—if you haven’t visited the Okefenokee Swamp, explain how you want to have the opportunity to do so in the future;
• If you live in Georgia or visit Georgia, make sure that you mention that in your comment;
• Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is supposed to respond to all “substantive comments.” All that means is that you have to raise a concern, such as the following:

• • If the mine can’t discharge its process water to the nearby waters, how is it going to get rid of it (Twin Pines says it is going to evaporate it)?
  • How is Twin Pines going to evaporate all its process water when it is so humid in South Georgia?
  • Has EPD considered how the mine will further contribute to on-going and unknown impacts of climate change to the Okefenokee?
  • If the mine causes the water levels in the Okefenokee to go down, won’t that make the Swamp more prone to forest fires?
  • Won’t the noise from the mine ruin the wilderness experience and adversely affect the wildlife?
  • How could EPD ever find that building a mine next to a wildlife refuge is consistent with local land use?