Biden Lassoes Titanium Mine in Okefenokee Boundary Expansion (1)

The Biden administration finalized a boundary expansion of Georgia’s Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to include private lands owned by a mining company as a way to preserve the “hydrological integrity” of the swamp, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday.

The expansion is the Biden administration’s last-minute salvo aiming to block Twin Pines Minerals LLC from mining titanium dioxide near the refuge’s boundaries. The Fish and Wildlife Service has said the mine could drain the swamp.

It’s the latest twist in the battle over the mine, which was embroiled in a fight over federal permitting and regulation of waters ...