DuPont withdraws mine permit application after citizen opposition

After only a few weeks of organized opposition by citizens, including Satilla Riverkeeper and activists from as far away as Waycross, mighty DuPont has had to think again about mining Wayne County near Jesup. Not given up, but at least not just breezing through unnoticed.

Update 2014-08-28 14:00: Greenlaw Press Release.

Terry Dickson wrote for jacksonville.com 27 August 2014, DuPont withdraws application for permit to mine more than 2,200 acres in Wayne County,

DuPont has withdrawn its application for a permit to mine 2,254 acres near Jesup, Ga., until it can address “various points” raised by Wayne County residents at recent meetings, the company said Wednesday.

“We’re going to hit the pause button and start over,” company spokeswoman Tara Stewart said. “We want to take time and listen to the community. We want to do this right.”…

DuPont wants to mine 4,063 acres “for titanium oxide, zircon, and other minerals”.

Environmentalists and local residents asserted that DuPont’s proposed method of excavating 25 to 50 feet deep would affect drinking water wells and that the dust and truck traffic from the operation would hurt property values and the quality of life.

DuPont planned to separate the mineral sands from the rest and then truck that to its facility in Starke for final processing.

Well, maybe they won’t do that once more people realize the problems such mining in a sensitive watershed could cause.

Meanwhile, citizens have demonstrated that activism works, even with $60 billion market cap DuPont.

Here’s some of what the citizens did, according to Derby Waters for the Press-Sentinel of Jesup 22 August 2014, Crowd hears more of DuPont’s mining plans,

A standing-room-only crowd of some 300 local residents filled the main building at Cracker Williams Recreation Center Tuesday night to discuss plans by the DuPont corporation to mine in Wayne County.

Heavy attendance at meetings of the county commissioners and a push for a local zoning ordinance are expected to follow this first meeting called by the Concerned Neighbors of Wayne County.

Concerned residents in the area of the proposed mines, elected officials, the environmental savvy and the just-interested listened to speakers discuss what DuPont’s permit request to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) may mean for the county.

These are all tactics that could work with many other threats to our local environment, such as that Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline.

-jsq