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EPA under fire for `unprofessional' impact reports

Environmentalists yesterday criticized the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) for "unprofessional" environmental impact surveys in discussions on public referendums.

On Tuesday, the EPA asked the Cabinet to make sure its referendum bill would not allow votes on public construction projects.

Following a referendum by residents of Pinglin township, Taipei County, on Sept. 13, EPA head Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said last week that "public opinion should not be more important than professional ones" and "the result of an advisory referendum should not overthrow that of an environmental impact assessment."

The result of a referendum showed 98 percent of Pinglin residents who voted were in favor of having the Taipei-Ilan Freeway, currently under construction, include exit and entrance ramps at Pinglin. But Hau immediately expressed the agency's disagreement, saying water supply to the Feitsui Reservoir in Taipei County would be contaminated in the construction.

In addition, Hau stressed that the freeway project should not be changed because its assessment had been passed.

"If all projects were reviewed by a referendum, we can foresee the beginning of a series of environmental catastrophes," Hau said.

After Pinglin's referendum, six others have been held in Taiwan on environment-related issues, including ones on incinerator projects.

Hau was ridiculed by environmentalists, who said that it is the existing environmental impact assessment system that lacks professionalism.

Taking a waste incinerator under construction in Chunan township, Miaoli County, as an example, Hsieh Herlin (謝和霖) of Taiwan Watch Institute said the project's assessment was full of defects.

Hsieh said the location of the incinerator is near an estuary of the Chungkang River and ecological systems in nearby wetlands had been treasured by conservationists for years.

"But local environmental officials admitted that the assessment for the incinerator project did not consider ecological systems in wetlands because they were unaware of the existence of wetlands," Hsieh said yesterday.

Construction of the incinerator began early this month despite continuing local opposition, Hsieh said.

In addition, Hsieh said, if the EPA sincerely cares about water quality, it should have halted the building of an incinerator in Linnei Township, which is just 1.8km from an area earmarked for a new water-treatment plant.

"If residents want to halt development projects approved by unprofessional assessments, their opinion deserves respect," Hsieh said.
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