Environmental groups are challenging Georgia regulators’ decision to allow a wood pellet mill in Middle Georgia with a history of environmental violations to double its emissions of toxic air pollutants. Telfair Forest Products in Lumber City has been cited by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) five times over the past 14 years and paid more than $50,000 in fines for violations that included exceeding pollution limits, failure to install required pollution controls, and failure to keep appropriate records and perform required testing, state records show. In July, EPD issued Telfair a new permit that allows the company to increase its output of volatile organic compounds — some of which are known carcinogens — from an estimated 337 tons per year to 586 tons per year. …The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) filed a petition Friday accusing the state of bypassing federal Clean Air Act requirements by issuing the permit without proper analyses or pollution controls.