Water ruling gives hope to opponents of Okefenokee mine plan

By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has struck down a Trump-era rule that eliminated federal protections for some wetlands and streams. The ruling Monday is giving hope to opponents of a proposed mine outside the Okefenokee Swamp’s vast wildlife refuge in southeast Georgia. The rule tossed out by a federal judge in Arizona narrowed the types of U.S. waters that qualify for federal protection from pollution under the Clean Water Act. One high-profile project directly affected by the environmental rollbacks under former President Donald Trump was a proposal to mine titanium dioxide near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Now environmental groups hope the judge’s ruling means the federal government will once again have oversight over the project near the Okefenokee.