The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday announced revised guidelines that would require local governments to activate air pollution command centers when air quality is poor.
The mechanism would be triggered when the air quality index exceeds 150, which indicates unhealthy levels of air pollution, Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Director-General Tsai Meng-yu (蔡孟裕) told a news conference in Taipei.
The agency is increasing its focus on unhealthy levels of air pollution as part of Taiwan’s efforts to improve air quality, Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
The nation’s efforts have so far made pollution levels exceeding 200 on the air quality index increasingly rare, he added.
The new guidelines stipulate that command centers must be activated when nine or more local governments report unhealthy levels of air pollution, up from the previous threshold of 11 or more local governments reporting unhealthy levels, Tsai said.
Past efforts led to local governments establishing centers, he said, adding that local centers had been activated 179 times over the past two years.
The new guidelines would also require local governments to activate pollution curbs when nearby municipalities or counties report unhealthy levels of air pollution that are suspected to originate in the jurisdiction of the local government, even if it does not report unhealthy levels itself, Tsai said.
This requirement applies to coal-fired facilities or coal/gas hybrid facilities across all industries, including incinerators, and steel and petrochemical plants, as well as pure-play power plants, he said.
The guidelines would affect about 100 plants, and the agency hopes to cut their emissions 10 to 14 percent, depending on the circumstances, Tsai said.
The scheme would be adjusted according to local waste disposal and power needs, he said.
The guidelines enable local governments to restrict vehicle use during air quality emergencies, including bans on high-pollution vehicles in affected areas and higher parking fees, as well as incentives for the use of public transportation, Tsai said.
The agency hopes that the new guidelines would lead to fewer days with unhealthy levels of air pollution, lower peak air pollution and a better informed public about ways to protect themselves from air pollution, Tsai said.
The guidelines are part of the agency’s long-term strategy to rein in air pollution, he added.
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