PHILADELPHIA -- Six of the seven groups wishing to build atop 196 acres at the Navy Yard got the green light from the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority to continue their respective planning processes.

However, not everyone is pleased the the possible tenants at the Southport Marine Terminal Complex portion of the Navy Yard just past the Walt Whitman Bridge.

According to philly.com, the ventures being considered come from a city-based refinery; Liberty Energy Trust; a real estate group funded by the California Public Employees' Retirement System; Liberty Property Trust; Southport Development Partners and OHL Infrastructure.

Southport is located along the Delaware River at the eastern tip of the Navy Yard and at the west end of the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.

"Our port has a strategic location on the East Coast, but its infrastructure is rapidly aging. I am committed to ensuring the commonwealth is a strong partner with the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority so that this vital resource remains competitive on a global scale," Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said last November when the expansion was first announced.

Among the plans presented were shipping and cargo terminals; an oil import/export facility; warehousing and vehicle processing, according to the report.

According to previous reports, up to 3,700 new jobs could be created at Southport as a result of the expansion. What's more, those jobs were expected to have salaries ranging from $40,000 to $80,000 with pension and medical benefits.

Responding to the update that the six approved parties could proceed with further development plans, Green Justice Philly Coalition issued a statement calling for clean energy and jobs rather than "more air and water pollution at Philadelphia ports."

"The Paris Agreement on Climate Change points the world toward a future powered by renewable energy rather than fossil fuels," said Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, a member of Green Justice Philly's steering committee.

"A vibrant Philadelphia economy needs to leave 19th century thinking behind and develop a 21st century infrastructure. We should seize opportunities to support businesses that are clean and safe, not polluting and dangerous," he continued.

Further, projects approved by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority "should support the long-term boom in wind and solar, not a short-term bubble in

fossil fuels," said Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of Delaware Riverkeeper Network, also a Green Justice Philly steering committee member.

Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.