MONTPELIER, Vt. (Jan. 30) — The Vermont legislature has set aside $250,000 for a possible legal battle against the state of New York in case the New York Department of Environmental Protection grants International Paper Co. a final permit to do a test burn of tire-derived fuel at its Ticonderoga, N.Y., facility.
Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas and hundreds of his constituents believe that allowing International Paper to burn TDF would raise toxic pollutants to unacceptable levels in Vermont. They want International Paper to install a $10 million to $15 million electrostatic precipitator at the plant, a move the company insists may not be necessary.
A spokeswoman for International Paper said the $250,000 appropriation had been added to the draft version of the Vermont state budget, but added she didn´t know whether it was part of the final budget. Calls to Gov. Douglas´ office and to Vermont House Appropriators Committee Chairwoman Martha Heath, D-Westford, were not returned.
Because of the time needed for the Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review public comments on the proposed permit, the final decision probably won´t come down until March, the International Paper spokeswoman said.