Georgia environmental regulators have revoked a permit for a wood pellet manufacturing plant in Telfair County after a legal challenge was raised against the project.

The state Environmental Protection Division (EPD) had approved a modification to Telfair Forest Products’ air-quality permit last July, allowing the company to bypass legally mandated pollution controls and air impact analyses.

Represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, the environmental group Georgia Interfaith Power and Light contested the permit amendment, arguing it would effectively double the plant’s emissions of harmful pollutants, in violation of the federal Clean Air Act.

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This week, the EPD revoked the amendment at the request of Telfair Forest Products, according to a news release from the SELC. Consequently, the environmental group announced it would withdraw its legal challenge filed with the Georgia Office of Administrative Hearings once the revocation is finalized.

“Telfair Forest Products was set to exemplify the failures of air quality regulations in communities near biomass wood pellet plants,” said Jennifer Whitfield, a senior attorney with the SELC’s Georgia office.

Georgia is currently the leading state in the biomass industry, with wood pellets made from harvested trees being exported to markets in Europe and Asia for energy generation.

While environmental advocates criticize the industry for its detrimental air emissions, supporters argue that wood pellet plants provide essential jobs in rural areas with persistently high unemployment rates.

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