A fight has broken out over Taoyuan's plan to build a chip-packaging materials zone in the Aerotropolis development, pitting industry jobs against residents' worries about water, power, and pollution.

• Mayor Chang San-cheng wants 40 hectares set aside for high-end IC substrates, with room to grow toward 100 hectares.
• Rival candidate Huang Shih-chieh says the site was promised to low-pollution, low-water, low-power industries, and substrate plants are none of those.
• Dayuan residents have filed complaints, worried about wastewater and the pollution record of older circuit-board factories.
• The city says newer plants are far cleaner and points to plans for extra-high-voltage power, recycled and desalinated water, and a cross-ministry water task force.
• Deals with Taiwan's circuit-board association and makers including Kinsus, Unimicron, and GEM are set to be signed in October.

Outlook: Expect public hearings and demands for hard environmental data before any land is tendered, with the dispute feeding into the Taoyuan mayoral race.