Warnock, Johnson Press EPA on Georgia Data Center Diesel Generators
Georgia lawmakers Raphael Warnock and Hank Johnson urged the EPA to regulate emissions from the hundreds of diesel generators supporting the state’s expanding data center industry. Their concerns include the health effects of combined nitrogen oxide emissions, while QTS’s Project Excalibur campus in Fayetteville illustrates the scale of generator deployments.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia asked the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen oversight of diesel generators used at data centers. They said the generators’ combined nitrogen oxide emissions could exceed those from two large Georgia Power coal plants and pose risks to nearby communities.
Georgia has approved more than 2,600 generators through minor-source permits, including 205 approved for QTS’s Project Excalibur campus in Fayetteville. The lawmakers’ concerns come as the EPA considers streamlining minor-source permitting by reducing federal public-participation requirements, which critics say could limit residents’ ability to challenge projects.
The article also notes that Virginia’s State Air Pollution Control Board adopted emissions standards requiring covered data center generators to meet Tier 4-equivalent limits. Warnock and Johnson urged federal regulators to address the issue through a Georgia-specific standard, state oversight, or other changes to the permitting process.