The Executive Yuan yesterday pledged to present laws to phase out the existing nuclear power plants, regulate storage sites for nuclear waste and promote the use of cleaner sources of energy.
A Cabinet official also suggested amending the Constitution to make Taiwan a nuclear-free country, a policy of the DPP.
Also high on the government's agenda is to organize a national conference next spring on the establishment of a "nuclear-free home."
Briefing the press after the first closed-door meeting of Cabinet's Council for the Promotion of a Nuclear-free Home (非核家園推動委員會), Minister without Portfolio Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) quoted Premier Yu Shyi-kun as saying that the government will do its best to build a nuclear-free home because the public demand it.
"When we and the Legislative Yuan signed an agreement to push for the establishment of a nuclear-free home last February, we promised to hammer out a comprehensive energy development plan that will take into account economic and social development and be in line with global trends and international treaties. This would, of course, have to provide sufficient energy," Yeh said.
Cabinet Secretary-General Liu Shih-fang (
"The energy development plan needs many supplementary measures to make it more complete, including enacting new laws and changing the Constitution," she said.
Yu said that building a nuclear-free home did not mean passively boycotting nuclear power. Rather, he said, it meant aggressively developing green technology and using cleaner and more efficient alternative forms of energy.
"When we talk about building a nuclear-free home, we're not just talking about the problem of nuclear power plants, but about how to end the intimidation of nuclear weapons, how to use nuclear power in a peaceful way, how to strengthen the use of renewable energy, how to liberalize and privatize the power industry and how to refuse nuclear pollution," Yu said.
Although there is a long way to go before Taiwan can become a nuclear-free home, Yu said, the government's determination would prevail.
"I know the road will be long and bumpy, but I believe we won't be alone because the public is on our side," he said.
During yesterday's meeting, the 17-member commission reached a resolution to divide the organization into eight groups. The different groups will handle: adjusting the structure of the energy industry; the promotion of clean energy; the discharge of nuclear power plants; the storage of nuclear waste; the promotion of a nuclear-free home; education about creating a nuclear-free home; legislation for building a nuclear-free home and the supervision of nuclear power plants.
To solicit opinions from the public and academic circles, the commission will start preparing for a national conference next spring to discuss the establishment of a nuclear-free home.
Commission members also called on the public to participate in the 10th No Nukes Asia Forum 2002 on Taiwan, which will be held from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 in Taipei.
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