U.S. agency sued over hands-off decision on Okefenokee mine

FILE - A group of visitors return to Stephen C. Foster State Park after an overnight camping...
FILE - A group of visitors return to Stephen C. Foster State Park after an overnight camping trip on the Red Trail in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, April 6, 2022, in Fargo, Ga. Conservation groups filed suit Tuesday, Nov. 15, against a U.S. government agency challenging its decision to allow a mining project to move forward without federal permits near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp's vast wildlife refuge. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File)(Stephen B. Morton | AP)
Published: Nov. 16, 2022 at 9:01 AM EST
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SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A U.S. government agency is being sued over its decision to allow a proposed mine outside the vast Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to move forward without federal permits.

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court against the Army Corps of Engineers, saying its August decision on the mining project in Georgia contradicts the Corps’ own policies and violates federal law.

Twin Pines Minerals has been working since 2019 to establish a mine outside the wildlife refuge.

Scientists have warned the project could damage the swamp.

The Army Corps declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Washington rule changes have caused the agency to flip-flop on whether wetlands at the site fall under its jurisdiction.