Relocating the development project for Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co’s proposed eighth naphtha cracker overseas could be an option amid opposition to constructing the plant in Taiwan, Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) said yesterday.
On a visit to Academia Sinica, Shih said that from an economic point of view, major development projects such as naphtha crackers should be built in Taiwan, but added that the government would not oppose relocating such projects overseas if the environmental cost was “too heavy to bear.”
“The government will not proceed with Kuokuang’s naphtha cracking project without the passage of an environmental impact assessment,” Shih said.
Photo: CNA
Shih made the remarks in response to questions by Chou Chang-hung (周昌弘), an Academia Sinica specialist in plant ecology and phytochemical ecology.
Chou said the proposed eighth naphtha cracker, as well as the operational sixth naphtha cracker in Mailiao Township (麥寮), Yunlin County, run counter to the government’s policies on energy-saving and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Chou said the sixth cracker had damaged land, air and water resources in areas near the plant.
Building a new cracker in Changhua County would cause further damage, with the proposed plant expected to account for 25 percent of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions when operational, Chou said.
In related news, representatives of environmental protection and wildlife conservation groups accompanied 20 schoolchildren to the Presidential Office yesterday to deliver postcards to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) asking him to protect Taiwan’s indigenous pink dolphins, which are facing extinction.
The proposed location of Kuokuang’s cracker is a 200-hectare stretch of wetland at the estuary of the Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪), which also forms part of the habitat of the pink dolphins, whose population is believed to number fewer than 100.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
RSS