The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus threatened yesterday to launch a no-confidence vote against Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) to protest the Cabinet's decision not to fine the Sixth Naphtha Cracker (六輕) for excessive water consumption.
Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化), the main operator of the Sixth Naphtha Cracker, had promised to limit the complex's daily water consumption to 257,000 tonnes when it passed an environmental impact review in 2004.
The plant is in Mailiao (麥寮), Yunlin County.
In March, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) fined the 14 Formosa-affiliated firms in the complex NT$7 million (US$212,800) for failign to meet its promise and ordered an improvement before the end of last month.
Last week, the EPA rejected Formosa Petrochemical's application to extend the deadline for improvement and threatened to suspend the operation of the plant.
However, on Monday afternoon, the EPA told a press conference that it had not yet reached a decision on how to deal with the plant.
Cabinet Spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (
Shieh's announcement and the change in the EPA's decision led the TSU caucus to speculate it had something to do with President Chen Shui-bian's (
At a press conference yesterday, TSU legislators Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) and Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) accused the premier of favoring the company by overturning the EPA's decision.
"The government should look into the plant's excessive water consumption rather than seeking to curry favor with corporations for election purposes," Lin said.
He said the government's decision not to fine the plant was a demonstration of how it had forgotten the "basic value of sustainability," adding that Chang was "an accomplice" in the matter and was "not suitable to stay on as premier."
When approached by reporters for comment yesterday, Shieh dismissed the TSU's accusations as speculation.
"I assure you that no government official has interfered in this case," he said. "The government is handling the case in accordance with EPA rules. Nothing more, nothing less."
"It is my understanding that the EPA set a June 30 deadline. The normal practice is that if the deadline falls on a weekend, it is automatically extended to the next working day, which in this case was July 2," he said.
Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) spoke in defense of the Cabinet yesterday, saying that environmental protection was not the only thing the Cabinet had to consider.
Wang said he respected the TSU for keeping tab on the government but a governing party had to take many factors into account.
"Although [the Formosa Plastics Group] broke its promise on water consumption, it was because of the [Sixth Naphtha Cracker's] large capacity. If we ask the group to reduce production now, it would affect downstream industries," Wang said.
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chi Kuo-tung (紀國棟) yesterday accused the president of intervening in the case.
People First Party Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (
"[This case] tells businessmen that they can have punishments for any irregularities remitted if they approach President Chen Shui-bian," he said.
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