VIDALIA &8212; A long-anticipated rubber plant has just one more step before construction can begin, and Mayor Hyram Copeland said it&8217;s an easy one.

All paperwork has been filed with the Department of Environmental Quality, he said, and approval should come down within two weeks.

&8220;I&8217;m not a betting man, but I feel like it&8217;s a formality,&8221; he said. &8220;I think it&8217;s 99.9 percent certain.&8221;

Before LIEL can begin construction of its tire-recycling facility in the city&8217;s industrial park, the company needs a permit of approval from the DEQ office in Baton Rouge. Copeland said the company submitted the necessary paperwork last week and the DEQ should work quickly through it.

If approval comes along Copeland&8217;s timeline, he said construction would begin within 60-90 days.

&8220;The next step is they&8217;ll start the project itself,&8221; he said.

Parish officials have said the plant will initially employ 60 people. When it reaches full production, that number could increase to 135.

LIEL has a patented recycling process whereby it salvages 80 percent of the rubber in used tires. This recovered rubber can be resold cheaper than new rubber.

The process is said to produce no toxic waste products and low emissions.

Attempts to reach LIEL, formerly called TXEL, for comment were unsuccessful.