The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it supported the idea of increased budgets for cities and counties that are home to highly polluting industries, such as petrochemical plants, so that local governments could protect the interests of residents.
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the central government should request that ministries, the local government, the Formosa Plastics Group and local residents work together to resolve a dispute over recent fires at Formosa Plastics petrochemical plants in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮).
“Beyond the public safety issues generated by petrochemical plants, local agriculture and fishery industries are threatened by the risk of fires,” Tsai said, adding that rather than seek short-term solutions to the current problems, the government should review the entire petrochemical sector.
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday ordered that Formosa Petrochemical submit an investigation report by Friday detailing the reasons behind a recent fire at its Mailiao oil refinery and plans for improvement.
“Formosa Petrochemical’s No. 6 naphtha cracker plant in Mailiao will not be allowed to reopen unless the cause of the fire is discovered and operating safety is fully guaranteed,” Wu said while on an inspection tour in Taichung.
Wu said the Council of Labor Affairs would invite academics to take part in the review, following a suggestion by Yunlin County Councilor Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬).
Tsai said limited budgets made it difficult for local governments to ensure the safety and prosperity of local residents.
As such, the party supports an increase in budgets for cities and counties facing such a situation, Tsai said.
The nation’s petrochemical plants are located in Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung County, Yunlin County and Taoyuan County.
While President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has said the government attaches equal importance to economic development and environmental protection, environmental protection would take precedence in the event of a conflict where one had to be chosen over the other.
Tsai said the DPP policy was that environmental protection would always be the priority.
Additional reporting by CNA
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