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DNREC Sec: A clean environment means more jobs

DNREC secretary Colin O'Mara says being environmentally friendly can lead to job creation. WDEL's LeAnne Matlach has more.

At a community meeting on environmental issues affecting Brandywine Hundred, DNREC Secretary Collin O'Mara stressed the relationship between job creation and a healthy environment.

"A strong economy really depends on a healthy environment, you can't have a strong economy without it," he said.

"If you're smart about it, smart environmental policy can actually create a whole lot of jobs, if he we actually think about it in a holistic way."

O'Mara says the universal recycling bill set to start in September could spur job creation if Delaware is able to open a recycling facility to process recyclables.

There's probably 200 to 500 jobs that we can create here in Delaware if we had a facility here, O'Mara said. "And the only way to have a facility is to have enough material and the way to have enough material is with the bill we passed last year."

He says Delaware could see a recycling facility within the next year to year and a half.

O'Mara says they are doing the best they can with a limited amount of funds. O'Mara highlighted what he calls success stories in the area like the Calpine Edge Moor plant.

O'Mara says much of the pollution in Delaware comes from out-of-state so DNREC is working hard to work with our neighbors on reduction.