N.L. tire burning decision delayed again

The provincial government has again delayed a decision on a controversial proposal to burn old tires at the paper mill in Corner Brook.

Kruger wants to burn 150 tonnes of tires as fuel during an eight-day trial.

Former environment minister Charlene Johnson delayed the government's decision by one month late last year.

An official in her department said the government received many more public submissions about the proposal than it had expected.

Johnson's department was scheduled to announce by Saturday whetherthe provincial government would give a green light to the proposed project, butthe decision has been further delayed.

A department spokesperson told CBC Newslast week's cabinet shuffle was to blame for the most recent delay.

Tina Coffey said the new Environment minister, Ross Wiseman, needs more time to consider Kruger's plan.

InterimLiberalLeader Kelvin Parsons said he believed the latest postponement has more to do with politics than Wiseman needing to catch up on departmental issues.

"They're manipulating things again," said Parsons. "They didn't want a controversial; issue to be raise during the byelection."

Parsons doesn't believe the government will make a decision on Kruger's proposal until a by-election to find a new MHA for the district that includes the mill is over.

Former premier Danny Williams represented the district of Humber West until he resigned before Christmas.

The Kruger-owned millproposed burning tires once before, but withdrew the project in late 2005. At the time the proposal had provincial government approval.

If the proposal goes ahead, tires would be shredded and burned with wood bark to produce energy. Proponents argue it would help the province get rid of more than two million used tires stored in the woods near Placentia.

The province has been looking for an environmentally friendly way to get rid of them for years.