Taipei Times: Why have you focused on inspecting polluters across the country since you took over the EPA?
Hau Lung-bin (
Take the cadmium-poisoned rice fields in central Taiwan discovered a few months ago as an example. Once the pollution had been discovered, I immediately demanded a comprehensive survey of agricultural fields. Based on the survey, we now have focused on 319 hectares of land that are potentially contaminated with cadmium. We have monitored all of these fields to identify the degree and sources of the contamination.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The cadmium pollution case alerted us to keep an eye on heavy-metal smelters. We have punished legal smelters that cause pollution and forced them to relocate to more suitable places, such as industrial zones. If a smelter is found to be operating illegally, we aren't easy on them. There is only one outcome -- we dismantle the illegal facilities without hesitation.
TT: Can we attribute long-term pollution to poor coordination between the Taipei-based central government and the localities?
Hau: I don't feel the EPA is ignorant of the real situation at the local level. But some things have to take priority. Currently, the EPA focuses on serious pollution cases. We have tried our best to work with our subordinates at local levels on doing that. But I think the problems are not made by the government but are the result of residents' lack of environmental consciousness.
TT: Do you think the rice farmers knew about the pollution before they started using the tainted water for irrigation?
Hau: I'm sure that the farmers knew the river had been polluted by illegal smelters. It was a shame that they did not know of the hidden dangers. As a result, the local cadmium-pollution problems became a national problem. I do believe that a good environment is possible if residents really treasure the land they live on.
TT: Don't you think the problem should have been attributed to the polluters: the illegal smelters?
Hau: Illegal plants are established to make money. I hope that residents who are environmentally aware will be brave enough to expose illegal smelters. Most Taiwanese people tend to make concessions to polluters, and this attitude will lead to more environmental problems.
But being environmentally aware, however, does not mean objecting to everything, such as incinerators or landfills. Acquiring accurate knowledge about environmental issues is necessary. Then reasoned dialogue is possible.
TT: How can residents acquire accurate information about environmental issues?
Hau: Children are taught by school teachers about environmental protection concepts. In society, residents can learn about it from environmental policies. For example, limiting the use of plastic bags and disposable utensils is a kind of social education. In terms of the environment, the policy aims to reduce the use environmentally unfriendly materials. In terms of promoting environmental consciousness, the policy not only informs people about the disadvantages of these materials but also enhances people's awareness of potential pollution.
I have to stress that protecting the environment should become an attitude toward life. People should avoid using plastic bags. If you have to use plastic bags, try to reuse them as many times as you can.
TT: Do you also expect that the policy can educate people from the plastics industry who are unwilling to cooperate with the EPA?
Hau: Carrying out the policy is ensuring sustainable development in Taiwan. We've tried to communicate with as many kinds of people as we can. At the very least, we have to let people from the plastics industry know that economic development and environmental protection should be equally emphasized. Taiwan has been in favor of economic development for too long.
TT: What has been the response from other government agencies about the policy to limit the use of plastic bags, especially those agencies that promote economic development?
Hau: On this issue all agencies are on the EPA's side. By the end of April, the EPA will officially announce the exact date of the enforcement of the policy's first stage. And we will give manufacturers six months to prepare for the launch of the second stage. So far, the manufacturers hope to bargain with the EPA over the thickness limit of plastic bags allowed to be manufactured, and that is negotiable.
(Note: The first stage of the plan, scheduled to start on July 1 would prohibit some locations from offering free plastic bags. The ban will be widened to more locations in the second stage, scheduled to start on Jan. 1 next year.)
TT: What sort of response from governmental agencies has there been to the administration's other environmental policies?
Hau: The Ministry of Economic Affairs has assisted the EPA in compensating hog farmers on major rivers who have had to relocate for the sake of protecting water resources.
TT: What comments do you have about the recent pollution caused by illegal dumping at a ``water sources protection area'' in Taipei County?
Hau: Residents and some legislators have expressed their mistrust of water quality at the "water sources protection area" near the Panhsin Water Purification Plant (
TT: Do you feel environmental quality is quite different between Taipei City and the rest of the country?
Hau: Of course. In Taipei, there are about 10 days in a year when the air quality is bad, but in central Taiwan it is about 30. In Kaohsiung city and county, the number is more than 30. In addition, all 175 illegal dumps that have been discovered, 15 of which are A-class [which pose an immediate danger to nearby residents], are located in southern Taiwan. Maybe dishonest waste handlers have taken advantage of the wide open spaces and low population density in remote areas in southern Taiwan. I don't think the EPA focuses on the north more than the south. I've set a deadline for the end of this year to clean up the 15 illegal dumps that have been heavily polluted by toxic materials. But treating and restoring polluted sites won't solve the problems completely. The key point is to change people's thinking and values.
As for building final depositories for industrial waste, one of most challenging jobs for the EPA, I hope to decide on two sites by the end of this year. We can avoid future pollution resulting from illegal dumping if final repositories for industrial waste are available.
TT: Do you think the country's environmental policies are consistent? Why has the EPA announced that it is cancelling its subsidies on electric scooters from next year?
Hau: Based on contracts signed between former EPA head Lin Jun-yi (
TT: Why did the EPA cancel projects to build four incinerators for burning waste?
Hau: Based on the latest statistics, I don't think it's necessary to build them. Some evaluations of the amount of waste produced in some localities were false. We will focus more on waste transportation projects rather than the establishment of new incinerators. We actually want to recycle as much as possible and that's why we are planning to build environmental science-based industrial zones, where waste can be turned into usable resources.
TT: Do you feel the EPA regulates endocrine disrupters, also known as ``environmental hormones,'' appropriately?
Hau: We've taken other advanced countries as examples. For example, we set the strictest limit in the world on the emission of dioxin. We have also regulated 20 out of 70 chemicals that are listed by Japan as environmental hormones. The production, import, sale and use of 13 of these 20 is completely banned. We will continue to collect information from advanced countries to see if other chemicals should be added to the list.
TT: What is your assessment of the environment in Taiwan as we approach Earth Day?
Hau: We are trying to transform it [Taiwan] step by step into an ideal place to raise children. For example, a four-year project to clean nine major rivers has just started. But I still maintain that environmental education is our priority.
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