A coalition of environmental protection groups yesterday rallied outside the Construction and Planning Agency (CPA) in Taipei, demanding that the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) revise a plan to expand the nation’s petrochemical industry and expand coal-fired power plants.
The protestors said that the expansions of power plants were proposed arbitrarily and without assessing potential health risks.
The ministry plan includes establishing a petrochemical storage and transportation center in the Port of Kaohsiung; increasing the production capacity of coal-fired power plants in New Taipei’s Linkou (林口) and Rueifang (瑞芳) districts by 4 million kilowatt-hours and adding four coal-fired power generators at Taiwan Power Co’s Dalin (大林) power plant and two at its Singda (興達) power plant.
The plan also includes several controversial water projects, including the Tsengwen River (曾文溪) and the artificial Gaoping Great Lakes (高屏大湖) — cross-border water channeling projects aimed at ameliorating water shortages.
Taiwan Water Resources Protection Union spokesperson Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said that even though there would be an environmental impact assessment undertaken if the plan is approved, it was highly unlikely that the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) would order the project to be revised to reduce its impact on the nation’s environment.
The EPA rarely interferes with projects proposed by the ministry and the ministry has ignored requests from the public that the plan be revised, she said.
Citing studies about the health hazards associated with coal-fired power plants, Chen said that the ministry plan lacks a health-risk assessment.
She criticized the EPA’s overall emission control proposal for the Kaohsiung-Pingtung air quality zone, scheduled for implementation next month.
Chen also said that it was a “fake” scheme because it appeared to lack any authority over the ministry’s plan.
Trees Party chief strategy officer Pan Han-sheng (潘翰聲) said that the ministry’s plan prioritizes profit over public health and the environment.
He said that the plan, which forms part of the Ministry of the Interior’s pending National Regional Plan, concerns land use and should therefore be proposed after a comprehensive assessment of its impact on local economies.
Profit should be pursued in conjunction with sustainability and local communities should benefit from the money, Pan said.
The environmentalists called on authorities to improve existing management of reservoirs rather than taking on controversial projects.
Critics have said the Kaoping Great Lakes project, which involves turning farmland into five artificial lakes, is too costly and would increase the chance of flooding, while those who oppose the Tsengwen River plan said that construction would pass through nearby fault lines.
The Water Resources Agency has previously said that the Gaoping Great Lakes project would increase daily water supply to Kaohsiung and Pingtung County by 340,000 tonnes and would cost NT$12.6 billion (US$412.56 million).
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS