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DURHAM — It appears that a Durham asphalt company is backing down from a buffer zone proposal.
Members of the Durham City Council and county commissioners agreed Wednesday that independent information about asphalt plants must be gathered.
In the meantime, Asphalt Experts has dropped its push for lower city regulations on new asphalt plants.
The company had wanted the city council to reduce the buffer zone between asphalt plants and homes from 1,500 to 600 feet.
Environmental advocates and residents said that the fumes, noise and dirty air should be kept as far away from homes as possible.
Community activists fought the proposal saying that it amounts to environmental racism, since most of the available sites are in predominantly black east Durham.
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