Dozens of residents of Yuanli Township (苑裡), Miaoli County, yesterday rallied in front of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) against a wind turbine project they say is too close to their homes and violates the minimum distance required by the environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Some held piglets, others were accompanied by dogs on leashes and some held white banners with messages such as “the low-frequency electromagnetic radiation and noise from the wind turbines damages health.” The protesters shouted. “EPA, toughen up! Return the land to us.”
They said they were concerned that turbines built so close to their homes would even affect their pigs and dogs and that they would be hit if the turbines fell over.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Chen Hui-ming (陳薈茗), a representative of the local self-help association against the turbines, said that the German wind-power firm InfraVest GmbH had violated the safety distance that it had guaranteed in the EIA report.
“The Environmental Protection Administration is neglecting its duty to monitor the project and make sure it is done properly,” Chen said.
There were many flaws in the EIA’s evaluation, such as the company neglecting its responsibility to communicate with nearby residents, but the EPA still allowed the project to win EIA approval, Chen said.
The residents also questioned whether the EPA’s equipment was able to accurately measure the distance between the turbines and their homes, Chen said.
Environmental Inspection Deputy Inspector-General Yang Su-er (楊素娥) said the EPA’s new equipment, purchased this year, was capable of precisely measuring the proper distances for this project.
The protesters later went to the Control Yuan to present a petition asking for an investigation into whether the EPA and the Bureau of Energy had ignored their duties to ensure that InfraVest builds the turbines according to safety principles.
The association staged a protest at the EPA two weeks ago, asking it to fine InfraVest for violating required safety distance requirement and to reconduct the EIA.
LIABILITIES MULLED: New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi said Taipei would find out if the firm was legally registered, the guide was licensed and the weather was assessed The assets of Tian Da Local Nature Co are to be frozen after at least four people died after falling into the Beishi River (北勢溪) on an outing the company had organized on Saturday, the Taipei City Government said yesterday. Six people — two adults and four children — were washed away by a flash flood on the river in New Taipei City’s Hubaotan (虎豹潭) area. They were participating in a Nature Joy Camp outdoor activity with a group of 16 adults and 15 children led by a guide surnamed Su (蘇). As of 4:30pm yesterday, four of the missing had been
Taiwanese worked more hours than people in all but three other countries in the world last year, Ministry of Labor data showed. Singapore placed first in average hours worked among the 40 economies surveyed, with an average of 2,288 hours per worker last year, the data showed. The city-state was followed by Colombia with 2,172 hours — based on 2019 data — and Mexico with 2,124 hours, it showed. Taiwan came in fourth, with 2,021 hours, it showed. South Korean workers clocked the third-most hours in Asia, with 1,908 hours, followed by Japan with 1,598 hours, it showed. However, compared with 2019, the survey found
The US 7th Fleet yesterday confirmed that a US Navy ship transited the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and Friday. “The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey [DDG 105] conducted a Taiwan Strait transit in cooperation with Royal Canadian Navy [RCN] Halifax-class frigate, HMCS Winnipeg, October 14-15, 2021,” the US 7th Fleet said in a statement. “Dewey’s and Winnipeg’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Cooperation like this represents the centerpiece of our approach to a secure and prosperous region,” it added. The transit marked the
‘COUNTERPRODUCTIVE’: The German, French and Singaporean missions said that Taiwan’s COVID-19 restrictions are hindering local projects and business operations Several foreign missions in Taiwan have urged the government to ease its strict COVID-19 border controls, which they say are hurting in-person exchanges and business operations. The missions made the appeal in response to media inquiries on how the border controls have affected their respective countries’ exchanges with Taiwan, amid growing concerns voiced privately by Taiwan-based foreign offices and businesses regarding the restrictions. Taiwan has maintained strict entry requirements since March last year, generally prohibiting most arrivals except for citizens and foreign residents, while it has required those who enter the country to undergo a stringent 14-day quarantine. Although the rules have been
RSS