In the face of opposition from the Creek Nation and local environmentalists,
the Savannah District Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit on March 7 to
allow mining for clay on the tribal homelands of the Muscogee Creek Nation of
Georgia. Under the permit, the Cherokee Brick and Tile Company will be able to
mine the Ocmulgee Old Fields of Georgia for 50 years, which is the longest mining
permit ever granted by the Savannah Corps. Tribal members were outraged by the
decision and said that mining will destroy ancient burial grounds and sacred
sites.
