City councilors expressed concerns Monday over a proposal by Sappi Fine Paper to burn processed construction and demolition debris to fuel one of its boilers in Westbrook.

The company has filed an application with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to get a permit to burn the debris at its Westbrook mill.

At a meeting of the council’s Committee of the Whole Monday night, councilors said they wanted to have more information before they could endorse the project.

The company sent out a notice of its intent to file to residents earlier last month. The City Council has asked the administration to request the Department of Environmental Protection hold a public hearing on the application.

Monday night, Barry Stemm, the chief engineer at the mill, told councilors the material being burned would be wood chips, consisting of old lumber and construction debris that has been processed and chipped into small fuel chips. The chips would be burned in the mill’s boiler to generate electricity to run the mill.

Stemm said rising fuel costs have led Sappi to look to alternatives to keep the mill running. “What we’re trying to do is a matter of economic survival for us,” he said.

The wood chips would come from special processing plants. Stemm said these plants are responsible for making sure no hazardous materials are mixed in with the wood that would be used as fuel.

Councilor John O’Hara told the mill representatives he was against the proposal, saying he believes there is no way to assure residents that the wood chips being burned at the mill were free of any harmful materials. “I’ll do everything in my power not to let you do it,” O’Hara said. “This is unacceptable. This puts all of the Greater Portland region in harm’s way.”

Randy McMullin, an environmental specialist with the Department of Environmental Protection, who is handling the Sappi application, said in a previous interview the materials to be burned would consist of old lumber and construction debris that has been processed and chipped into small fuel chips. Treated wood, such as pressure treated lumber and railroad ties, would not be burned, he said. “None of that gets chipped up,” said McMullin.

Council President Jim Violette said he was concerned that if Sappi were to be allowed to begin burning construction debris, it would create a smell reminiscent of the odor that used to come from the plant in the days when it was making pulp there. “My concern in burning something is that all of a sudden we’re going to get a stench again,” he said.

Stemm said the mill held a test burning of the material in March, and he said there was no evidence of any odor. “I would believe this would ultimately be invisible to what we do today,” he said.

The committee ended the discussion without taking any action. Committee Chairman Brendan Rielly said he wanted to get more information about the material being burned and the potential implications to the city. He said the Committee of the Whole would be discussing the matter at a future meeting.

Stemm said the mill was anxious to put to rest any fears that there is any danger from the material it is asking to burn. “We’re 100 percent committed to working with the city,” he said. “We’re very concerned about being a good neighbor.”