International Paper Co. is working with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation toward a permit for a test burn of tire-derived fuel (TDF) at its paper production facility in Ticonderoga.
The company wants to prove to skeptical environmental officials and citizens in upstate New York and neighboring Vermont that it can replace up to 10 percent of its annual fuel oil consumption at Ticonderoga with TDF without harming the area's air quality.
So far International Paper hasn't applied for a permit, according to Doug Elliott, an environmental analyst with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, which is watching the Ticonderoga project closely.
``We'd expected them to apply by the end of May, but the ball is in their court,'' Mr. Elliott said.
A spokeswoman for International Paper, meanwhile, said the company should file for the permit by mid-June.
Currently, International Paper uses a combination of #6 fuel oil and bark to power its boilers at the Ticonderoga plant, the company spokeswoman said. The plan during the test burn is to replace fuel oil with TDF up to 10 percent of its BTU value, she added.
If the permit is issued and the test burn is successful, International Paper will apply to New York for a permanent modification of its Title V permit to allow the use of TDF, the spokeswoman said.