The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday proposed a bill that would require the government to establish a nuclear waste management committee and build an interim repository to ensure more centralized and safer management of radioactive waste.
Under the proposed radioactive waste management act, the committee would be an independent government body under the Executive Yuan and would follow a set of procedures for selecting the storage site that ensures neutrality and public participation, the party told a news conference at its caucus office in Taipei.
Nuclear waste is scattered in various locations across the nation, with low-level radioactive waste stored in a repository on Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and many spent fuel rods stored at nuclear power plants, NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
“Taiwan is a small island. Should we have so many storage facilities at the same time? Such an approach to nuclear waste management is not only irresponsible, but it also raises safety concerns,” he said.
Before the government finalizes a plan for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel, where the waste would be stored for tens of thousands of years, it should first build an interim repository that could keep the waste for several decades, he said.
Under the bill, the location of the interim repository must be selected by experts and civil groups, pass an environmental impact assessment and a local referendum, he said
Experts would select 10 locations based on their geographical conditions and from them civil groups would select three, he said, adding that residents living within a 30km radius of the selected location would then vote in a referendum on whether to build the repository.
The process would be “based on professional assessment, and ensure transparency and public participation,” he said.
Under the bill, the committee responsible for overseeing the process should have a chairman and six other members, he said, adding that there should be at least one Aboriginal member.
The chairman, nominated by the Executive Yuan, must be approved by the Legislative Yuan, he said.
“The management of nuclear waste is not only an environmental issue, but also one of generational justice,” NPP caucus convener Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said.
“The government has long ignored the importance of public participation and transparency when building nuclear power plants, but we think it is important to ensure those two things occur in the process,” he added, urging the public to support the bill.
TAIWAN PROTECTION MEASURE: US Army General Charles Flynn would not say where in the Asia-Pacific the missiles would be sent, but only that they would arrive in 2024 The US is to send medium-range missiles including the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) and Tomahawk to the Asia-Pacific next year to deter a Chinese attack on Taiwan, US military news Web site Defense One reported. The report cited comments US Army General Charles Flynn made during the annual Halifax International Security Forum on Nov. 19. “We have tested them and we have a battery or two of them today,” Flynn was quoted as saying. “In [20]24. We intend to deploy that system in your region. I’m not going to say where and when. But I will just say that we will
UNUSUAL UPTICK: There are more flu-like illnesses in northern China than in the past 3 years, but data from Beijing showed that known pathogens are responsible Responding to an uptick in respiratory illnesses in China, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it has instructed international airport and port quarantine centers to raise their alert levels, and plans to issue an alert to healthcare practitioners. The number of flu-like illnesses reported in northern China has been increasing for five consecutive weeks, and is higher than the same period in the past three years, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said. “According to the WHO’s latest statement, issued yesterday, information provided by Chinese government showed that the illnesses were mainly reported among children, and the illnesses were attributed
LOYALTY: The 10 active and retired soldiers betrayed the nation and its people by leaking and passing on military secrets to China, the High Prosecutors’ Office said Ten former and current military officers were yesterday indicted on charges of spying for China, including two who allegedly filmed themselves pledging loyalty to Beijing. The High Prosecutors’ Office requested life imprisonment for the suspects in light of the severity of the crime. The 10 active-duty and retired officers included members of the 601st Brigade of the Aviation Special Forces comprising attack helicopter squadrons and elite combat units in charge of defending northern Taiwan, including Taipei. The other suspects came from Huadong Defense Command, in charge of defending the eastern coast; Kinmen Defense Command, in charge of defending Kinmen and Matsu; and one
‘OPEN TO DIALOGUE’: Her alliance with Vice President William Lai is based on their commitment to preserve the nation’s freedom and democracy, Hsiao Bi-khim said Taiwan should “trust, but verify” reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) denied that Beijing plans to invade Taiwan in 2027, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told reporters yesterday. “We anticipate and we hope that Chairman Xi Jinping was sincere when he said there was no timetable” for bringing Taiwan under control by force, said Hsiao, who earlier this week resigned as the representative to the US to join the ticket of DPP nominee, Vice President William Lai (賴清德). Borrowing a phrase from former US president Ronald Reagan — which US President Joe Biden also used after
RSS