Minister of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Stephen Sheng (沈世宏) said yesterday that the penalties leveled against the Formosa Petrochemical plant in Kaohsiung County’s Renwu Township (仁武) would remain unchanged.
Sheng made the remarks at the Legislature’s Health, Environment and Social Welfare Committee when he briefed lawmakers on the actions the EPA had taken to contain the groundwater and soil pollution found at Formosa’s Renwu plant.
Last year, the EPA found that levels of 1,2-dichloroethane, believed to be a carcinogen, were 30,000 times higher than maximum allowable levels according to government regulations.
A taskforce commissioned by the Kaohsiung County Environmental Protection Bureau concluded on Wednesday that two wells located outside the plant had water containing levels of 1,2-dichloroethane that exceeded government regulations.
One well built near Wuhe Village (五和) to monitor the pollution was found to have water containing seven times the level of 1,2-dichloroethane allowable by the government. The other was a well drilled by local citizens that was found to have levels 1.75 times the allowable level.
As the taskforce cannot determine if the pollution found in the two wells was caused by Formosa’s petrochemical plant, it said that Formosa need not shut down the plant.
Lawmakers yesterday cast doubts on whether the EPA can actually ask Formosa to pay the fine.
Sheng said that under the Water Pollution Control Act (水汙染防治法), the Renwu plant could be fined a maximum of NT$600,000.
“But we decided to cite the Administrative Penalty Act (行政罰法), which takes into account the ‘improper gains’ Formosa made throughout the years by saving money it should have spent to contain the pollutants,” he said. “This would make the penalty heavier.”
The EPA previously said the fines could range from NT$38 million to NT$150 million.
Although Formosa knew about the pollution in 2002, the EPA could only calculate the penalties the firm had accumulated since 2006, when the Act was promulgated, he said.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS