DOVER, Del. (AP) - A proposal to open Delaware's environmentally protected coastal zone to new heavy industry is getting its first hearing in the legislature.
A House committee hearing on the bill was set for Wednesday amid opposition from several environmental groups.
The bill establishes a permitting process for new use of 14 existing industry sites, most of them abandoned and polluted brownfields.
It also allows the currently prohibited transfer of bulk products such as oil and minerals at sites that had docking facilities or piers before enactment of the Coastal Zone Act in 1971.
Supporters, including Gov. John Carney, say the bill could spur manufacturing and job creation.
The bill does not allow certain heavy industry uses that did not exist in 1971, but the Delaware City oil refinery would remain grandfathered.
