Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Tainan City Councilor Lu Kun-fu (盧崑福) on Wednesday accused the Tainan City Government of “fraudulent environmentalism” by using diesel generators to recharge electric buses.
On March 22, the city government announced the completion of a project to reduce carbon emissions by using electric buses on the No. 77 bus line, an announcement that Lu said was “deceptive and vainglorious.”
The city failed to finish the recharging infrastructure for the buses, which meant diesel generators were used at the recharging station in Anping District (安平), Lu said.
The generators were used daily from 7am to 10pm, emitting noxious fumes and noise, Lu said, adding that residents told him that the air and noise pollution had made the district “unlivable.”
Residents made repeated complaints to the Tainan Environmental Protection Bureau, the Bureau of Transportation and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians, but their appeals fell on deaf ears, he said, adding that an unnamed DPP legislator demanded residents “put up with” the pollution.
Lu asked the city government to immediately cease using the generators and to submit all documents related to the project’s property acquisition, environmental impact studies and bidding history to the city council.
The Tainan Bureau of Transportation said that under its arrangement with Taiwan Power Corp (TPC), a pure-electric recharging station would have been operational last month.
However, the project encountered bureaucratic difficulties that delayed TPC’s power supply and the generators were used as a stop-gap measure because the electric buses had already replaced conventional buses, the bureau said.
Since Lu’s complaint, the bureau has suspended the use of the generators and ordered the bus operator to sort out its problems with the TPC, it said.
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