An ad hoc Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) committee meeting yesterday concluded that a fire which broke out at Formosa Petrochemical Corp’s Sixth Naphtha Cracker in Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township (麥寮) in July 2010 had a negative impact on the surrounding environment and that the company must outline its response strategies in light of the case.
The meeting was held using information based on the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (環境影響評估法) and the committee requested that Formosa Petrochemical Corp present an environmental impact investigation report on the accident. It added that the conclusions drawn from the findings of a third ad hoc committee meeting which took place in March require that the company come up with a response strategy for possible future accidents.
However, the EIA committee said the causal relationship of the accident and the negative impact on the nearby environment was unclear and needed to be discussed further.
Before the meeting took place at the Environmental Protection Administration, several representatives from civic environmental protection groups, academics and local aquaculture farmers held a protest in front of the building.
The activists and aquaculturalists presented evidence arguing that the collective mass death of ducks and fish near the plant after the fire was suspected to be connected to pollution created by the accident.
Taiwan Water Conservation Alliance spokesperson Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said about 2,500 ducklings at a nearby duck ranch died en masse on the morning of July 27 and they believe the deaths were directly related to the acidic dust which was released after 584 tonnes of heavy oil were ignited during the accident.
“The fire burned for almost three days and the duck ranch was located to the east of the plant with winds blowing from the southwest during those days,” Chen said, adding that a heavy rainfall occurred around 1am on July 27, just hours before the sudden death of the ducklings.
A member of the Changhua Medical Alliance for Public Affairs Yang Joe-ming (楊澤民), said that according to the EPA’s monitoring data from that period, levels of PM2.5 (particles under 2.5 micrometers in diameter), as well as damaging ozone, exceeded regulated standards in both Chunghua and Yunlin Counties by 16 and 11.1 times respectively.
During the meeting, Formosa Petrochemical Corp said its investigation into air quality, water monitoring and soil quality, as well as tests for heavy-metal in fish and crustaceans raised near the plant, showed that pollutant levels were all within regulated standards and that there was no scientific evidence to prove the animals’ deaths were caused by pollution from the plant.
However, Yunlin County Government’s Agriculture Bureau said excess amounts of heavy metal substances — up to five times the level that can kill rats in laboratory tests — were found in aquatic products.
Two local aquaculture farmers who raise Taiwan tilapia and clams said large amounts of their water-based livestock died after the incident, but the company was not willing to compensate them for their losses because they could not bring any scientific evidence to prove their case.
Yunlin County Deputy Commissioner Shih Keh-he (施克和) said the Supreme Administrative Court had already ruled that the accident had caused severe air pollution and so the company should stop shirking its responsibilities by saying it had caused no harm to the environment.
The meeting concluded that the company still has to provide a strategy which would include various environmental monitoring procedures.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS