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).
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS