Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport paid the state $32,000 in fines for operating emergency power generators that spewed too much smog-forming gas into metro Atlanta's already polluted air.

The airport also will have to pay $1,000 for each hour a dirty generator operates under a proposed consent order published this week by the state Environmental Protection Division. The hourly fine applies until the end of smog season Sept. 30 and would re-start when smog season begins next May.

The airport paid a $39,000 fine in 2006 for similar violations. The latest order was issued because airport management failed to meet repair deadlines and maintain complete operating records for the generators.

Lou Musgrove, EPD's manager of stationary source compliance, said "They've had a problem out there since some time in 2004, so it's been going on for years and years."

Airport officials said the facility's diesel-powered generators are currently in compliance with the state's air quality regulations, and the $1,000-an-hour fine for ongoing violations is "no longer applicable."

Under Federal Aviation Administration rules, the airport must crank up emergency generators when there are thunderstorms in the area in case the power goes out. The back-up power ensures airplanes can continue to land safely at Hartsfield-Jackson.

The proposed consent order has been signed by the airport's director of environmental and technical services and the fine paid, though the order is in a 30-day comment period and has not been finalized.