Lawmakers on Monday night approved draft amendments to the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) that would grant local governments the right to set up air quality conservation zones, which would limit access by two-stroke scooters and diesel-fueled vehicles at designated times.
To improve regulation of mobile sources of air pollution — namely vehicles — local governments can delineate air quality conservation zones and bar or limit two-stroke scooters and diesel-fueled vehicles from entering the zones, one amendment says.
Contravening the rule would be punishable by a fine of between NT$500 and NT$60,000 (US$16.44 and US$1,973), it says.
Another amendment stipulates that the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) can introduce rules to tighten regulation of vehicles that are at least 10 years old after assessing the air quality in an area, and it can levy a fine of between NT$3,000 and NT$60,000 for vehicles whose emissions checks are at least six months overdue.
Vehicles that are not taken for an emissions test after their owners receive a fine would have their license plates revoked, it says.
The amendments would significantly increase the maximum fine from NT$1 million to NT$20 million for stationary sources of pollution — namely factories — whose emissions exceed their quotas and “cause serious [environmental] impact.”
One amendment stipulates that owners of facilities must report any anomaly in emissions within an hour of an incident.
Those who fail to adopt emergency response measures in the case of an accident that results in death could be imprisoned for life and receive a maximum fine of NT$30 million, it says.
It also encourages whistle-blowers to report any excessive emissions to local environmental protection authorities, promising them a proportion of any fines imposed as a reward.
Prior to the vote, the Democratic Progressive Party caucus, which holds the majority in the Legislative Yuan, agreed to change the wording of a contentious amendment that said the EPA should “decide with” the Ministry of Economic Affairs when setting emissions caps for air quality control zones, which was changed into the agency should “consult with” the ministry.
Businesses whose emissions are expected to exceed government limits can pay for an additional allowance derived from emissions cut by replacing old vehicles, one amendment says.
Another amendment stipulates that power plants can bypass emissions caps when responding to an emergency or when working toward the government’s goal of increasing the proportion of energy generated from natural gas, provided that the resulting pollution does not exceed that of the emergency or that created by coal-fired facilities.
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