SAVANNAH — A member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet is urging Georgia officials to deny permits for a proposed mine near the edge of the famed Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge, saying the plan poses "unacceptable risk" to the swamp's fragile ecology.
Interior secretary: `Unacceptable' to mine near famed swamp
![](https://statesboroherald.cdn-anvilcms.net/media/images/2022/12/13/images/Okefenokee.max-1200x675.jpg)
![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 on April 6, 2022, in Fargo, Ga. A member of President Joe Biden's cabinet urged Georgia officials](https://statesboroherald.cdn-anvilcms.net/media/images/2022/12/13/images/Okefenokee.max-752x423.jpg)
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