The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday reiterated that proposed new emissions standards would only target two-stroke scooters and old diesel cars, saying that claims the agency is to eliminate all older vehicles are false.
People who own older vehicles have been protesting the EPA’s plans since Article 36 of the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) was amended on June 25, authorizing the agency to tighten emissions standards for vehicles more than 10 years old.
Owners of two-stroke scooters demonstrated several times outside government agency headquarters prior to the amendment, while owners of old diesel cars also staged protests nationwide.
Protesters accuse the EPA of targeting economically disadvantaged people, but not daring to challenge large companies running the “bigger exhausts” of factories.
The EPA has issued press releases saying there have been many “false interpretations” or misunderstandings of the act.
EPA Deputy Minister Chan Shun-kuei (詹順貴) yesterday said that the proposed new standards would target old scooters and diesel cars that fail to improve emissions, not all vehicles more than 10 years old.
Starting from 2020, scooter emissions should have less than 3.5 percent carbon monoxide and less than 2,000 parts per million (ppm) of hydrocarbons, a standard that was adopted in 2004 and would only affect scooters produced before Dec. 31, 2003, Chan said.
Prior to 2004, two-stroke scooters were allowed to emit up to 4.5 percent carbon monoxide and 9,000ppm of hydrocarbons, the EPA said.
From 2023, emissions from diesel cars would be required to be below 1 on a smoke opacity test, which would affect diesel cars produced before Sept. 30, 2006, Chan said.
The agency has also bolstered regulations for stationary sources of pollution, so claims that the EPA does not regulate bigger polluters are not accurate, Chan said.
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