One issue that has been a cause for concern regionally is the proposed tire burn by the International Paper plant in Ticonderoga. IP wants to proceed with a two week test burn of chipped tires as a new source of energy to power their plant. But this naturally concerns Vermont since the wind would blow the fumes in their direction. The Vermont state government has gone to court asking a judge to issue a temporary injunction againt the burn until the federal Environmental Protection Agency further studies the proposed action.
IP wants to burn sludge too.
Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas asked to meet with the head of IP but his request was rebuffed.
New York's state Department of Environmental Conservation has ok'd the move which has also gotten support for New York's governor George Pataki and US Sen. Hillary Clinton. Perhaps this isn't surprising since all the air pollution will quickly leave New York state.
For years, New York has butted heads on the clean air front with midwestern states like Ohio. Factories in these states produce pollution which blows eastward and causes acid rain in upstate New York. The acid rain has killed animal life in many Adirondack lakes, striking a critical blow against the outdoor activities-based economy of the region. This makes Albany's environmental callousness even more hypocritical.
Want more info? The Burlington Free Press has an archive of stories on the issue. Here's the site of a citizens' group against the burn.
Update: Vermonters are breathing a sigh of relief, literally, after the IP plant decide to scrap the test burn a week early after finding that the process was not economically feasible.
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