Zone turns down cash for 'dirty' projects

BEIJING - Authorities have turned down at least 10 billion yuan ($1.57 billion) in investment because it could harm the environment in a new development zone beside Bohai Bay, a senior official said on Thursday.

Experts and officials have voiced concerns over human activities on the "fragile" sea off the coast of North China's Hebei province, especially after the recent oil leaks.

"The new State-level development zone will be a concentration of green industries," Zhao Yong, deputy governor of Hebei, said at a news conference about the zone that was organized by the State Council Information Office on Thursday.