Amid growing public demand for action to combat air pollution, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) yesterday called on the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to address issues in a draft bill for an emissions-capping system targeting factories and science parks in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung air quality zone.
Citing statistics published by the agency, Chiu said that in 2013, Kaohsiung recorded the second-worst PM2.5 — particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less — pollution level in the nation, with annual PM2.5 readings taken in the Daliao District (大寮) reaching 45.4 micrograms per cubic meter of air — three times the value recommended by the EPA.
Furthermore, the EPA said that the Kaohsiung-Pingtung air quality zone has the most serious air pollution issue due to its high concentration of smelting, petrochemical and power plants.
Chiu said the draft bill put forward by the EPA last month presented several problems.
The draft states that emissions caps would be based on the largest amount of emissions by a facility over the past seven years from the day a proprietor files an application for the cap. To effectively cut emissions, the caps should instead be set according to the average emissions over the past seven years, Chiu said.
Regarding businesses that plan to set up plants in the region being required to purchase remaining quotas not used by existing facilities, Chu said that such trading should only take place between establishments within the air quality zone.
He urged the EPA not to bow to pressure from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and corporations, and act in a fashion safeguarding public health.
In response, EPA Department of Air Quality and Noise Control senior engineer Wu Cheng-tao (吳正道) said the EPA is in talks with environmental watchdog groups, as well as the Kaohsiung and Pingtung governments.
It plans to implement the capping system by June, after the bill is finalized, he said.
Separately, Taiwan Water Resources Protection Union spokesperson Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) yesterday criticized the draft bill over a provision that states emissions from projects that have passed an environmental impact assessment might be governed by the maximum permissible amount of emissions granted to developers by local governments, which is usually much higher than measured emissions.
The entire emissions capping policy would be useless if this method is adopted, Chen said, adding that the stipulation on maximum permissible emissions should be canceled before the policy comes into effect.
In related news, DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) last week accused the EPA of contravening the Air Pollution Prevention Act (空氣汙染防治法) over a provision in the draft bill that states emissions quotas from defunct facilities might be transferred to developers who file new development plans.
She said that the legislation is what gives the EPA its authority to enforce the capping system and does not include provisions for the emissions trading mechanism espoused by the EPA, demanding that the EPA amend the draft.
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