Georgia Data Center Activists Alarmed by EPA's Proposed Clean Air Act Changes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to remove public notice and comment requirements for state-level air quality permits, a change that could streamline data center development but remove public oversight. This proposal alarms Georgia data center activists and environmental groups who argue it hinders community efforts to monitor pollution, citing a recent case in Newton County where public involvement led to a stop-work order for a Serverfarm data center and its power provider VoltaGrid.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a significant change to the 1973 Clean Air Act, aiming to remove public notice and comment opportunities for state-level air quality permits. This would streamline the review process for "minor source" permits, which increasingly include gas and diesel generators used by data centers, but critics argue it would bypass community awareness and participation.
Environmental lawyers, clean air advocates, and data center opponents across the country, including groups in Georgia, have called the EPA's proposal "alarming" and "anti-democratic." They contend it would allow polluting industries, such as rapidly expanding AI data centers, to proceed with permitting new pollution sources without adequate community input. Kiya Stanford, Georgia state organizer for Moms for Clean Air Force, emphasized the potential for public harm from such a lack of transparency.
In Georgia, the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) does not separately track data center air permits, making public oversight challenging. The Sierra Club, however, has consistently commented on recent data center projects, raising concerns about air quality degradation, the lack of consideration for battery storage alternatives, and the cumulative impact of over 2,600 diesel generators across 24 approved minor source permits. The Sierra Club's analysis suggests these could generate emissions comparable to, or even double, Georgia's coal plants, creating significant health risks during power outages when generators run and residents may be without air conditioning.
The importance of public participation was underscored in Newton County, Georgia, where activist group Sustainable Newton successfully influenced the EPD to issue a stop-work order for a Serverfarm data center and its power provider, VoltaGrid. Sustainable Newton, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, challenged the separation of permits and alleged violations of state law regarding VoltaGrid's sale of electricity to Serverfarm. Maurice Carter, president of Sustainable Newton, stated that without public notification and comment opportunities, the project would have likely been operating months ago, highlighting the critical role of community engagement in holding polluters accountable.