EPA puts Suhua review on hold

The Environmental Protection Administration's (EPA) environmental review committee meeting took a dramatic turn yesterday when committee members passed an unscheduled resolution to postpone indefinitely the review of the Suhua Freeway construction proposal.

The move came after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Fu Kun-chi alleged last week that six members of the review committee were taking kickbacks from a power plant's developers to present a favorable conclusion in a separate project review.

A committee member yesterday responded to the allegations by giving up her anonymity and calling on the public to respect the professionalism of the panel members.

Other committee members also said the panel should consider postponing all ongoing reviews of construction projects -- including the Suhua proposal -- "until our reputation and the respect for our professionalism have been fully restored."

The Suhua project received a conditional approval last Monday and was scheduled for a next-level review at the administration on Tuesday.

Yesterday's development came as a surprise as the EPA had said that the committee would not discuss the Suhua project again until after the presidential election next Saturday.

However, in response to Fu's allegations, committee member Lin Su-chen (林素貞), an environmental engineering professor at National Cheng-kung University, broached the subject at yesterday's meeting and proposed a postponement.

"If our professionalism is doubted to such an extent and our names have been smeared to such a degree, I propose that we postpone the entire Suhua review process -- including the approval review meeting set for next Tuesday," she said.

To allow committee members to review construction cases independently, their identities are not made public, but Lin said she chose to reveal her name to protest the allegations.

"Legislators do not have the right to smear the committee so liberally. The public should take a good look at [Fu]," she said. "I am extremely saddened by these undignified allegations, they have had me in a rage for a week and I have not even been able to sleep."

Lin said she was open to a probe into her integrity.

Putting her career on the line, Lin said that "a good committee member should maintain professionalism, act as a gatekeeper for the environment and have the courage to ask whatever questions are necessary -- even if they are unwelcome. But we are smeared because we defend national development. If my proposal to postpone the [review of the] Suhua case does not draw a consensus, I will resign from my post."

At the meeting, another committee member then said that in addition to the Suhua case, the six panel members who were targeted by Fu's allegations might freeze the review process for all projects.

Lin's proposal was passed almost unanimously. In addition, the committee asked that Fu apologize for his accusations.

During the meeting it was also decided that a similarly contended project, Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co's (國光石化科技) proposal to build a NT$401 million (US$12.3 million) chemical plant in Yunlin County, would require an extra environmental impact assessment and therefore face a possible two-year delay in its construction.

The company's general manager, Chiu Chi-hsiung (邱吉雄), said yesterday the company would discuss the decision at a board meeting later this month.