A data center developer and the company building its nearby power supply have secured Georgia air permits after starting construction without them, agreeing to pay a combined $41,500 in state penalties. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division assessed $31,000 against ServerFarm and $11,500 against VoltaGrid in separate consent orders. The companies’ projects are in Newton County, near Covington. Residents alerted state regulators after construction began on generators before the required air permits were issued. The state ordered the work stopped. In the consent orders, both companies said they misunderstood what work was allowed before permits were granted, believing they could assemble generators if the engines were not yet connected to fuel or power systems. Georgia law allows civil penalties of up to $25,000 per day for violations of the Georgia Air Quality Act and related rules. Maurice Carter, president of Sustainable Newton, said the penalties are unlikely to deter companies making large investments. “So clearly, those fines aren’t any kind of deterrent to them,” he said. Patrick Anderson, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, contrasted the Georgia penalties with a New Jersey case in which a data center operating without a permit received a penalty of more than $1 million. Carter and Anderson said the permitting process nevertheless led to stronger environmental protections. The two neighboring facilities will be covered by a combined permit that limits how many generators can operate and for how long. Anderson said the revised approach is expected to reduce emissions by about 20% compared with the original proposal. “Whatever fine they pay year after year after year is not going to protect the people of Covington or Newton County. But not being able to run those engines will,” Carter said. He called for lawmakers to consider stronger penalties and oversight to discourage future violations. The Georgia Public Service Commission could also penalize the companies, but that would require an investigation and public hearings. That process remains in its early stages.