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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 24 March 2023

Scientists say mine plan claiming no swamp harm has errors

By RUSS BYNUM neers relinquished any per-
Associated Press mitting authority over the
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Twin Pines project following
Scientists for the federal a rollback of environmental
government say docu- regulations under President
ments that Georgia state Donald Trump. The Fish
regulators relied upon to and Wildlife Service asked
conclude a proposed mine Georgia regulators to post-
won’t harm the nearby pone further decisions on
Okefenokee Swamp and the mine until the Army
its vast wildlife refuge con- Corps decides whether to
tain technical errors and reassert jurisdiction.
“critical shortcomings” that The Okefenokee National
render them unreliable. Wildlife Refuge covers near-
Since 2019, Twin Pine Miner- ly 630 square miles (1,630
als has been seeking per- square kilometers) in south-
mits to mine titanium less east Georgia and is home
than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) to alligators, bald eagles
from the Okefenokee Na- and other protected spe-
tional Wildlife Refuge, the cies. The swamp’s wildlife,
largest refuge east of the cypress forests and flood-
Mississippi River. Scientists ed prairies draw roughly
have warned that mining The Red Trail of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge winds through a stand of cypress trees 600,000 visitors each year,
near the swamp’s bowl- on the way to the Stephen C. Foster State Park on April 7, 2022, in Fargo, Ga. according to the Fish and
like rim could irreparably Associated Press Wildlife Service.
harm the swamp’s ability to the National Park Service consultants failed to look at could have during dry peri- The Georgia Environmental
hold water and increasing reviewed computer mod- the combined impact on ods when it’s vulnerable to Protection Division is work-
the frequency of withering eling results that Twin Pines the Okefenokee of ground- drought. ing on a final mining plan
droughts. had submitted to state water gushing into mining Other problems cited by for Twin Pines after a 60-
The Georgia Environmental regulators with its mining pits, the pumping of addi- the scientists included day comment period on
Protection Division moved application. In a 28-page tional water from an aqui- mathematical errors in five the project ended Mon-
the project a big step for- analysis sent to regulators fer and disruption in soil lay- data tables in Twin Pines’ day. The mining plan must
ward in January by releas- last week, the scientists said ers at the swamp’s edge. report. be finished for the agency
ing a draft plan for how several flaws cast doubt on Instead, they wrote, those The U.S. Fish and Wildlife to start drafting permits.
Twin Pines would conduct regulators’ conclusions. factors were measured Service, which manages The division received more
mining operations and miti- “Our analysis revealed a separately. the Okefenokee refuge, than 77,400 comments
gate any environmental series of critical shortcom- The hydrologists also said said in a March 17 letter from concerned citizens,
damage. ings in the modeling used computer models didn’t to Georgia regulators that local officials, government
The agency said its own for prediction of impacts” account for seasonal and because the problems are agencies, conservation
analysis “concluded that to the Okefenokee refuge, year-to-year variations in so significant, the agency groups and others, said
water level in the swamp Park Service hydrologists the Okefenokee’s water will make a renewed push spokeswoman Sara Lips,
will be minimally impact- Kiren Bahm and Rajendra levels, overlooking poten- for federal oversight of the in addition to more than
ed.” Paudel wrote. tial effects that diverting proposed mine. 26,800 comments sent
In response, hydrologists for The scientists said Twin Pines water from the swamp The Army Corps of Engi- previously.q

Names, photos of Los Angeles undercover police posted online

LOS ANGELES ing Coalition posted more secrecy.” the Los Angeles Police Pro- file officers, filed a miscon-
The Los Angeles police than 9,300 officers’ infor- The department’s release tective League, the union duct complaint against
chief and the department’s mation and photographs of the undercover officers’ that represents rank-and- them Monday.q
constitutional policing di- Friday in a searchable on- names and photographs
rector are under investiga- line database following a was inadvertent, the Times
tion after the names and public records request by a reported, even though the
photographs of undercov- citizen journalist, the Times city attorney’s office deter-
er officers were released reported. It was not imme- mined the agency was le-
to a technology watchdog diately clear how many of gally required to turn them
group that posted them those were undercover. over under California’s
online, the Los Angeles The coalition opposes po- public records law.
Times reported. lice intelligence-gathering “We will look to what steps
LAPD Chief Michel Moore and says the database or added steps can be
offered his “deep apolo- should be used for “coun- taken to safeguard the
gies” to the undercover tersurveillance.” personal identifiers of our
officers, who were not giv- “You can use it to identify membership,” Moore said
en advance notice of the officers who are causing Tuesday.
disclosure, during a police harm in your community” The department’s inspec-
commission meeting Tues- the group wrote. “Police tor general launched the
day. have vast information investigation into Moore The Los Angeles Police Department headquarters building is
The technology watch- about all of us at their fin- and constitutional policing seen downtown Los Angeles, Friday, July 8, 2022.
dog group Stop LAPD Spy- gertips, yet they move in director Liz Rhodes after Associated Press