ALBANY -- Environmental groups and people who live near the only commercial hazardous waste landfill in the Northeast are speaking out against a New York state plan that could allow the landfill to grow bigger.

At issue is a draft of the Department of Environmental Conservation's hazardous waste facility siting plan released this summer. The plan, revising a 2003 version, sets guidelines for approving new or expanded hazardous waste landfills in the state.

Public comment sessions around the state have drawn little interest. But the last two sessions, in Niagara County, are expected to draw crowds because that's the home of Chemical Waste Management's 710-acre chemical and industrial waste disposal site.

Public hearings are scheduled Wednesday night at Niagara Falls Public Library and Thursday at Lewiston-Porter High School.