Erie's Tire Incinerator: Renewable Energy or 'Something out of The Simpsons'?

"Green is not the color most people would associate with burning tires.

But that's how developers of a proposed tire-fueled power plant in hardscrabble Erie, Pa., describe their project. They say the plant, which would turn 900 tons of tires each day into a 90-megawatt power supply, would be an ecologically beneficial investment since it would keep tires out of landfills or illegal dumps and generate electricity with one-tenth the emissions of traditional coal-fired power plants.

If it receives needed state approval, Erie Renewable Energy's project would be the largest power plant in the world burning 'tire-derived fuel,' or TDF."

"Among other things, mercury emissions from the plant would likely exacerbate the contamination of fish in Lake Erie, tightening existing consumption limits. ERE's permit application lists a potential of 3 pounds of mercury emissions per year. The ERE facility's proposed 300-foot smokestack would lessen the emissions impact on the immediate area, but residents and officials of New York, just 13 miles to the east, and Canada have also expressed concern about the plant.

Opponents concerned about health and environmental effects say power generation is just a way to disguise what is really a giant tire incinerator. [As one opponent put it] 'Erie just built a new convention center. How many tourists are going to want to come to the city with the world's largest tire incinerator? It's like something out of The Simpsons.'"