The Executive Yuan has approved an amendment to the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) to increase penalties and their applicability, with a particulate pollutant reduction goal expected to be achieved by mid-2019 ahead of schedule.
In terms of factory emissions, the amendment would impose stricter control of production processes to reduce volatile organic compound pollution, lower the sulfur content of fuels, ensure stricter factory emissions requirements and allow authorities to fine polluters by the number of violations discovered instead of by the number of days when pollution violations are discovered.
In terms of vehicle emissions, the amendment would authorize local governments to set up “air quality zones” where highly polluting vehicles are banned, put more vehicles under regulations — including ships and factory machinery — and impose stricter emissions standards for vehicles more than 10 years old.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
The maximum fine for air pollution would be raised from NT$1 million to NT$20 million (US$33,327 to US$666,533), while the government would be allowed confiscate illegal gains from polluters. The fine would also be extended from just polluters to their supervisors and company directors.
The amendment would also established a mechanism to encourage and protect whistle-blowers.
The Cabinet is to announce a set of pollution prevention measures next week.
Environmental Protection Administration Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said the amendment and ensuing pollution control measures are expected to achieve a pollution reduction goal by mid-2019, earlier than scheduled, if the measures are thoroughly enforced.
Then-premier Lin Chuan (林全) in April announced the goal to reduce the level of PM2.5 — an indicator of fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or less — from 22 micrometers per cubic meter to 18 micrometers per cubic meter by the end of 2019.
The number of “red alert” peak pollution days is to be reduced by 20 percent in two years and by 50 percent in four years, Lee said.
The agency is also to introduce more stringent emissions requirements by July 2020 targeting vehicles more than 10 years old that would no longer be tied to the emissions standards when the vehicles were manufactured, he said.
The agency has offered subsidies to retire 1.2 million two-stroke engine motorcycles and 80,000 diesel vehicles manufactured before 1999, it said.
“There are 14 million motorcycles in the nation. If 10 percent [of motorists] have the awareness to use public transportation during peak pollution periods ... it would make considerable changes. People must have that awareness,” Lee said.
New pollution prevention measures to be proposed include banning field burning of agricultural residue and regulating diesel generators used by farmers and street vendors, the agency said.
The nation is to stop using petroleum coke — whose sulfur content exceeds that of coal by more than 10 times — by July next year, when Formosa Plastics Group’s naphtha cracker in Yunlin County stops using the substance to fire its power plants, Lee said.
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