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A state Senate bill that would protect regionally significant industrial lands from being converted to other uses, and accelerate the permitting process on those lands, is one step closer to becoming law.

The Oregon Senate on Thursday passed 鈥� which was sponsored by Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield 鈥� by a 27-3 margin. The bill will now go to a vote in front of the state House of Representatives.

Gov. John Kitzhaber has championed the bill since he entered office earlier this year.

鈥淚 commend the Senate for its passage of Senate Bill 766,鈥� Kitzhaber said in a statement last week. 鈥淭his bill will provide a strong competitive advantage for Oregon and a high level of predictability for investment by the business community while maintaining our great quality of life and it’s an important part of Oregon’s economic recovery strategy.鈥�

The bill would allow local governments to designate certain lands as industrially significant, and prevent their uses from being changed. The bill stipulates that there must be at least five industrial significant lands and no more than 15. A state panel would then oversee an expedited state permitting process when a project is pitched for those lands deemed regionally significant.

The commercial real estate and industrial business communities support the bill, as does land-use advocacy group 1000 Friends of Oregon.

Opposition has come from the Audubon Society of Portland, an environmental advocacy group. It believes public opinion would be eliminated from major decisions. The organization is particularly concerned about potential development of West Hayden Island.