A bill on the development of renewable energy will "very likely" be passed in the current legislative session, lawmakers serving on the Economics and Energy Committee said yesterday.
However, the passage of bills on an energy tax and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was unlikely to proceed as smoothly, with controversies surrounding these bills still lingering, they said.
The legislators and the government agency in charge of drafting a final version of the energy tax bill have not yet done so, while further discussions are required before the legislative Sanitation, Environment and Social Welfare Committee will be able to complete the second review of the greenhouse gas reduction bill.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang To-far (
Wang said that the Environmental Protection Administration had in principle accepted his suggestion of setting up a timeline in which the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a certain percentage must be reached by a certain date.
Wang reported on the progress of the three bills related to environmental protection at a press conference yesterday where lawmakers who visited the UK at the end of last month briefed the media on their thoughts and observations on how the British government was addressing the issue.
They described their visit, initiated by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as significant, as it was the first official visit to the UK since the two nations severed diplomatic relations 35 years ago.
DPP legislators Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) and Chen Min-jen (陳明真), KMT Legislator Lwo Shih-hsiung (羅世雄), deputy director of the British Trade and Cultural Office Charles Garrett and Bureau of Energy Director-General Yeh Huey-ching (葉惠青) also addressed the press conference.
Lee said that the UK had achieved great success in curbing carbon dioxide emissions and that the Taiwanese government could learn a great deal from the British example.
Wang said he hoped that the Environmental Protection Administration could establish a carbon trade policy in Taiwan within three years.
Lwo said that the renewable energy development bill had to be passed as a matter of urgency.
"We need to consider the impact on the industries that rely on low gas prices and low carbon prices, which will be removed from the market. Meanwhile, we also need growth in the renewable energy industry so that it may replace the high-pollution industries," he said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
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